Bittersweet Goodbyes
by Jeakat
Summary: "I can't do this." I couldn't believe what had just come out of her mouth. Leah Clearwater had just admitted that there was something she couldn't do. I quickly checked the sky for signs the apocalypse was coming. - Callwater, rated M for later chapters
1. Interview

**A/N: I've been sitting on this chapter for a while and decided to just get it posted! This will be a short story, three chapters possibly with an epilogue but we'll see**

**Disclaimer: Any recognisable characters, places etc beong to their respective owners, not moi!**

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"I can't do this."

I couldn't believe what had just come out of her mouth. Leah Clearwater had just admitted that there was something she couldn't do. I quickly checked the sky for signs the apocalypse was coming. Finding nothing but dreary dark clouds I returned to staring down at her small form. Six foot isn't all that small for a girl but for a werewolf she's a certifiable midget. Even in her heels she was still a few inches shorter than me.

"Yes you can." I rolled my eyes as she shook her head.

"I can't Embry, really _can't_." She practically pleaded.

She turned to stalk back to her car. With her back turned I seized the opportunity and grabbed her by the tops of her arms, pinning them to her sides while I lifted her a good foot off the ground and marched her towards the door.

"Let go!" she hissed, her tone much more like the Leah I knew, "Embry, I swear to god, let me the fuck go. Right now."

"Nope. _You_ dragged me along. _You _have to suffer the consequences."

"I didn't think you'd be so forceful." She grumbled, giving up her struggles, finally realising we were definitely going to cause a scene. Not that she usually cared about that kind of stuff.

Suddenly I realised something, "That's why you brought me isn't it? You didn't think I'd make you do it if you decided to chicken out."

"I'm not chickening out. Put me down!" It didn't go unnoticed that she didn't answer my question.

"It is isn't it? Why not bring Seth instead?" I asked, setting her down just outside the doorway.

"Because, _moron_," she spun round to face me, shooting one of her best death glares in the process, "Seth would have given me the puppy eyes until I caved."

I frowned, "Why not Jacob, or even Quil?"

She snorted, "If I'd chosen either one of them then I'd have had to put up with incessant imprint talk the whole drive over here." She said, rolling her eyes as if she was stating the obvious. In truth she probably was.

"That still doesn't entirely explain why you made me come along."

"Urg…First of all Call, I didn't _make_ you," she glared again, folding her arms over her chest, "I asked you. You said yes. Second, excuse me for not wanting to do this by myself. It _is_ a big deal. And thirdly… well because dammit, you can actually be a pretty good listener when you want to be so if I was too chicken shit to go or I failed spectacularly, which lets face it is the more likely of the two, then at least you'd let me bitch and whine to you." She finally finished her mini rant, her lips puckering into an adorable pout.

She looked down then, twisting the hem of her jacket in between her long fingers, clearly nervous.

"Leah, look at me," when she made no attempt I held the tops of her arms again and her eyes met mine with a sort of nervous desperation as I leant towards her, "You can do this. You're not going to fail. You're going to go in there and kick major ass. Not literally, I know what you're like," I warned. She smiled at my assessment, probably imagining the same thing I was; a light gray wolf tearing the sky-scraper to pieces, "You're going to do great. The Leah Clearwater I know is fearless and determined and brave, so just suck it up and get in there."

She smiled up at me, "Thanks Embry," she said softly before squaring her shoulders and putting her game face on.

"I'll be in the car when you get out."

She nodded meekly before turning and pushing the door open, her legs trembling slightly as she did so. She disappeared into the big building and I slowly made my way round the block to the car.

Sighing, I cranked back the passenger seat, settling myself in to wait it out.

I hadn't really known what I'd got myself in for when she'd asked me to do this. I didn't fully understand why she'd need- or more to the point,_ want_- anyone to come with her, but I'd jumped at the chance to do something for her, especially if it meant getting to spend most of the day with her. I realised right there and then that I'd fallen for Leah much harder than I'd thought.

I found Leah attractive, hell, everyone did. It'd be impossible not to notice her perfect face; her ridiculously full lips, her long eyelashes, or the way it all lit up when she gave one of her rare true smiles. You'd be blind if you missed her legs, long, thin and toned to perfection, or the way her small hips swing with every graceful step.

Somewhere between eye-fucking her and actually having proper conversations with her- now that we were in Jakes pack and she'd mellowed somewhat- I'd started to become attracted to more than just her body. Yeah, she was a total bitch, something I'd been on the receiving end of more than a few times, but she had a wicked sense of humour, a fierce pride and loyalty, and somewhere underneath it all was an incredibly caring person. Plus the bitch thing was totally hot, especially when she was pissed at the same time.

After being in Jakes pack with her for almost a year now I had come to accept that the nasty girl in Sam's pack had, in actuality, been very hurt and confused. She'd lashed out because she was in pain. It didn't make it right, but it made me understand it. She said she owned so much to Jake, that he had literally set her free but neither he nor the rest of the pack see it that way. She's strong, impossibly so, and she would have gotten over Sam eventually with or without Jakes help. She really had no idea how strong she was, her actions outside the building earlier had proved that.

It was only a job interview for fucks sake. How could she be so nervous? Granted, it was her dream job and hell, even I felt a bit nervous for her. In fact, if my stomach muscles tightened anymore from the butterflies I felt on her behalf then I'd definitely need to get out her car before I made a mess. But Leah had actually let the façade drop for five minutes and let me see just how bad she was feeling, something she never, ever does.

I hoped that that was the real reason that she'd invited me. That she was only willing to drop her guard around _me_, but I quickly squashed that thought down. Leah wouldn't look at me twice, not in that way anyway. There was simply no point in trying to date Leah, she'd kill me before I even finished asking.

I checked the clock on the dash, she'd been in there for half an hour now. What did that mean? Was it a good sign that things were taking so long or were they just running late? I hoped it wasn't the latter; Leah didn't need to be sat in there waiting, she'd probably bail before they called her in. I imagined her sat there, looking all lost, a small frown creasing her perfect face. I groaned, trying to think of something else. The image of Leah looking all vulnerable in her sexy little skirt and heels wasn't something I should be thinking about right now. It wouldn't be good for her to come back to the car and notice my raging hard-on for her.

I'd almost died when she pulled up at my house this morning. She was wearing a tight fitted white shirt, tucked neatly into her pencil skirt, which had obviously been designed for short girls as it sat at mid-thigh length on the bronzed beauty that stood before me. Her impossibly long legs were sheathed in pantyhose. Well, I hoped they were pantyhose- I really didn't need to think about Leah in stockings, positive that I'd bust in my pants if she was. And to top it all off she'd been wearing heels, stilettos to be precise. Black, shiny, fuck-me stilettos.

She looked sophisticated; her outfit was definitely appropriate job interview attire. But she also looked damn assed sexy. Of course, Leah being Leah, she had absolutely no fucking clue how gorgeous she looked. In fact I'd bet my life savings that if someone put 100ft tall letters along first beach even claiming something as mild as 'Leah Clearwater is pretty' she still wouldn't get it. One of the many, many reasons Sam felt so bad about breaking up with her was because she'd never really had any sense of self worth, and he knew that what little he'd managed to build up in her during the course of their relationship would be in tatters.

He'd been right. Leah never notices the looks she get from guys, including the way I'd all but gawped at her this morning before setting off on our (very, very long) drive to Seattle.

A sharp click followed by a whoosh of cold air snapped me out of my thoughts as Leah quickly hopped in the driver's seat.

"How'd it go?" I asked instantly sitting up, winding the seat up with me until I level with her.

Her face was pinched together and for a moment I panicked. Nervous Leah I could deal with, a _crying_ Leah? Not so much. I'd never even seen her cry before. But her face broke out into the biggest, prettiest grin I've ever seen.

"I think it went great." She breathed out in a big gust of air.

"That's great." I smiled, reaching over to give her a quick hug, relishing in the opportunity to actually have an excuse to touch her. I thought she'd pull away as fast as she could but instead Leah wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and buried her face in the crook of my neck. It was pretty awkward, considering we were both in our own seats and had the gear shift to contend with but to me it still felt fantastic.

"Thank you." She whispered, and I could have sworn that as her lips brushed my neck as she talked she planted a small kiss on my pulse point. But then I was pretty sure I must have dreaming it.

I chuckled, the sound coming out much lower than I'd anticipated, "You're welcome. So…when do you find out?"

She groaned, releasing me so that she could sit back in her seat and look at me, "A week, at the minimum. I don't think I can wait that long!"

"I'm sure it'll fly by." I reassured.

She snorted, "No it won't. It'll be all I'll think about. I'm going to drive you all crazy on patrol."

"You already drive us crazy, Leah," _In more ways than you can possibly imagine_, I thought to myself as she pealed off her jacket, unintentionally pushing her breasts forward, making the material of her thin shirt strain with the pressure.

"Hey." She swatted my arm and for a minute I was positive that she caught me checking her out but then she didn't punch me so I assumed she was reacting to my 'crazy' comment.

"Joking aside," I went on as she started the car and pulled out, "I'm sure you'll hear from them in no time. And I'm sure it'll be a yes too."

"God I hope so," she breathed. Her quiet tone at complete odds with the scowl on her face, aimed at the guy driving right up her ass. I flipped him off on her behalf, which earned me a scowl of my own before she flipped the idiot off for herself.

"I just want this job so, _so_ much."

"I know you do."

Leah had applied for a junior position at the Seattle Times. She wanted to work her way up. She'd always wanted to be a reporter and this job was a good first start. I had to admit that she'd make one hell of a journalist; hard as nails when she needed to get the answers and yet nice and caring enough to tease out some of the more sensitive stories.

Half of me desperately wanted her to get this job. It was her dream and I imagined that a smile similar to the breath-taking one she'd given when she got back in the car would permanently grace her beautiful face if she got it. I'd saw myself in half just see her smile like that on a regular basis. Lots of people would. Her mom, the pack, and most of Sam's pack would too. Not to mention Emily, Rachel (who'd been Leah's friend since they were like two) and Billy- who despite the fact that her mom's relationship with Charlie was starting to look serious- Leah considered a second dad.

Billy had always been good to Leah but he was really there for her when Harry died. She'd grown so close to the old man that Jake had joked that it felt like he had three sisters. Billy had then replied that he'd tried to swap Jake for Leah on many occasions but Sue wouldn't hear of it. It's also led to Leah spending a day at the Black house ordering Jake around like '_a true big sister would,_' as she'd put it. After having to clean his room_ and_ his garage to spotless perfection Jake never made that joke again.

I hated to admit that the other half of me, the significantly more selfish part of me was dreading the prospect of Leah getting the job. She would have to move to Seattle, away from the pack, away from _me_. I would just have to sit back and watch her go. I wouldn't even have her in my mind anymore.

Apart from the cubs, and maybe Paul, we'd all managed to gain enough control to be able to stop phasing if we wanted. Of course, none of us had wanted to just yet, especially in Jakes pack. But if Leah got the job she would be giving up her wolf completely.

Even if I wasn't having weird feelings for Leah, her departure would still sadden me. We were a unit, a team. I really didn't know how our pack would function without her. It probably wouldn't, there'd always be a void. I wasn't looking forward to how Jake would react either. No one, apart from me, knew about Leah's plans, or her interview today. Jake would be happy for her, absolutely no doubt about it. They were close, very close. I would definitely be jealous if it wasn't for the fact that Jake had an imprint. Joking aside, they did have a very brother/ sister type relationship.

I had been a bit pissed- though I'd hidden it well- when Jake announced that Leah was his Beta. I'd secretly thought that it would fail pretty quickly, they'd argue too much and literally want to kill each other and then either me or Quil would take her place. But she'd been fantastic. An Alpha needs someone to back him up, especially in front of others and even more so in front of a different pack, but they also need someone to call them out on their shit. They need someone who can tell them honestly if an idea or strategy sucks. Leah does that for Jake and so much more. When they'd gotten over hating each others guts they realised they actually worked pretty damn well together, firmly becoming the best of friends. Again, I'd definitely be jealous of that if Jake didn't have Nessie.

But then, Leah probably wouldn't be so casual with him if he was un-imprinted. I'd noticed, not too long ago, that she's actually a very tactile person. She often hugs Jake, Quil and Seth, even curling up on the couch with them, snuggling to watch a film. She never did that with me but I suspected it was because they were all 'safe'; Jake and Quil had their imprints and Seth was her brother. I was single, and even though she had no idea about my feelings for her, she knew on some level that it would mean something different with me.

The journey home felt short; Leah was so hyped up that she talked most of the way home with me adding nods and questions in all the right places. It was fantastic to see her so lit up about something. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the road, her wild hand gestures causing her to take both hands off the wheel on multiple occasions. It didn't even feel like ten minutes had passed since she'd got in the car when she pulled up outside my mom's tiny house.

"Thanks for listening, Embry," she said sincerely as I checked my watch, noticing that two and half hours had passed.

I looked up, noticing for the first time that the sky had darkened, "That's why you brought me," I answered simply, unbuckling my seat beat before stretching out my back muscles.

While my back was arched, arms still above my head- bent at the elbow and still touching the roof of the car- she slid her arms around my torso, her fingers just grazing my abs, causing them the harden in response. She placed her head on my chest, squeezing me tightly.

"You don't know how much I appreciate today Embry. Thanks for kicking me up the butt."

I chuckled, returning her embrace and planting my cheek on top of her head. "You're more than welcome." I breathed, quickly inhaling her scent as slyly as I could, drowning in the smell of wildflowers.

She pulled her head back, though she kept her arms around me. I froze when she stopped moving back, her face just inches from mine. I knew she wasn't going to do anything but the close proximity was driving me crazy. If I just bent my head down a little then ours lips would be brushing. The movement would be so simple, and yet it could cause any number of consequences. All of them ridiculously bad.

"I umm…I'd better go," she stuttered. _Stuttered? _Leah never did that.

I snapped out of it as she retracted her arms, "Yeah," I said lamely, "See you."

"Bye." She said, in an almost puzzled tone as I shut the door.

Making my way up the porch steps all I could think was _what the hell was that about?_

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**A/N: My first dip into Callwater, what did you think? Let me know if you want me to continue with it. Normally I don't let a lack of reviews stop me from posting new chapters but I've got so much going on and of course, my other stories to continue so I'll only update this one if there's interest in it. **

**Speaking of other stories (see what I did there!) Pitch Black has been nominated in three catergories of the Gem Awards. It would be comepletely fantastic if you could take a teeny bit of time to vote. Pretty please?**

**http:/gemawards (dot) blogspot (dot) com/**


	2. Bonfire

**Disclaimer (and I'll try to spell anything right on this one!): I don't own the Twilight universe, but oh, if I did...**

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I'd tossed and turned the night after getting back from Seattle with Leah, the events of the day just rolling around in my head. The one I kept returning to the most was her smile. They way her whole face had lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Ok, bad analogy; Leah definitely did not look like a child. She looked as hot as hell.

I'd finally given up and decided to relieve myself of my pent up frustration. As my hand pumped furiously up and down on my cock I imagined a much smaller, softer hand doing the work for me, gently stroking until I found my release. I'd groaned, visualizing Leah in that cute little outfit she'd been wearing for her interview.

It was three days later now and I was having a very hard time trying not to think about her. I'd done so well at hiding my attraction for Leah from the pack, although I suspected that Quil kind of knew. The guy was like a super sleuth, always knowing whatever the pack didn't want out in the open. Although, I don't think he grasped that there were feelings behind the attraction I felt towards Leah.

Now though, with the prospect of her leaving, those feelings were becoming harder to hide, let alone deny. I was trying to grapple with what exactly my feelings meant and keep them hidden, all the while trying to cover up where Leah and I had been on Wednesday, and what I'd subsequently done while thinking about her when I'd got home. It was all becoming too much; something was going to slip soon.

"You ready?" Quil called from the lounge.

"Yeah." I answered, striding into the lounge and flicking off the TV so we could leave.

"Man, I'm so hungry," he moaned, rubbing his belly as we walked down the road.

I rolled my eyes, "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of hotdogs."

"They'll probably all be gone by the time we get there," he grumbled, before looking at me inquisitively, "Why'd you have to get all dressed up anyway?" He gestured, looking down at my clothes then back up to my face with a frown.

Putting on full length jeans and a black t-shirt would be scruffy to any normal person but it was smart-casual in werewolf terms. Granted, the t-shirt probably fitted a tad more snugly over my muscles than the shirts I usually wore, and ok, I may or may not have received a decent amount of attention and comments about my ass from a handful (ok a dozen) girls when I'd worn them to the grocery store in Forks a few weeks ago, but that didn't mean I was dressing up.

"No reason," I mumbled, suddenly taking an interest in the sidewalk.

Quil snickered, "Oh yeah, I'm sure," he claimed, sarcasm lacing every syllable, "I bet it has nothing to do with a certain she-wolf, who shall, of course, remain nameless," he laughed.

I was shocked that he'd said that but I did my best to cover it up as I asked, "What the hell does this have to do with Leah?"

I could see him roll his eyes through my peripheral vision, "Oh you know, only that fact that you've been panting after her for months!"

"What?" I stopped dead in my tracks.

I had no idea that Quil had noticed _that_ much.

Shit, how was I going to cover this up? Why, oh god why did I have to start actually fucking blushing? I could feel the heat rise even further in my cheeks as Quil started laughing.

"Don't even try and cover it man. I know you better than that. It's so fucking obvious." He was doubled over now and I was struggling to grasp what was so funny. I gave up on my innocent act, knowing it wasn't going to get me anywhere.

"Shit. How long have you known? Do the rest of the guys know? Does _Leah_ know?" I asked in a rush, panicking wildly.

"Calm down Em. I've known for a while now. Since Leah's birthday."

Ah. I remembered that day, I remembered it well. Sue had (much to Leah's dismay) thrown a huge house party to ring in her daughters 21st three months ago. Leah had worn the tiniest black dress I've ever seen; it looked like it would fit Alice it was that short. I couldn't stop staring at her all night and apparently it hadn't gone unnoticed.

"And of course the pack doesn't know you idiot. Don't you think Seth, hell even Jake, would have spoken to you about it by now if they did? And you know Seth can't control his thoughts. If Seth knew then Leah would know."

I shuddered at the thought. Leah could definitely never, ever know about this. She'd either kill me or never speak to me again, and I'd be far more inclined to take the first option.

"Leah can't know." I stressed, hoping my tone was laced with enough of a threat.

Quil quickly put his hands up in a sign of surrender, "I know. God, what do you take me for, some kind of fucking idiot? She'd kill you."

I gulped. I suspected as much but having it confirmed didn't exactly help.

I had to walk the rest of the way to the cliffs listening to Quil singing _'Embry and Leah sitting in a tree,'_ while he made kissy noises in my direction. Honestly, I love the guy, he's like my brother (he might actually_ be_ my brother) but sometimes I wonder why the hell I'm friends with him. I thought imprinting would calm him down, but no, it only made him into a monk. An annoying, all too happy monk.

"Hey guys," Seth called brightly waving us over to join him on the other side of the bonfire.

The gesture was totally unnecessary, as if we'd actually sit with Sam's pack! It's not that we didn't mix with them but at official meetings, such as the council gatherings, we always sat with our respective pack members. It was more instinctual than anything else.

I sat down to the right of Seth. Leah was sandwiched in between Seth and Jake, who despite being an Alpha too, refused to sit on the chairs with the other elders, preferring to join the rest of us on the ground. That was one of the main reasons why I liked being in Jake's pack- he never acted as if he was in charge of us despite knowing that we wouldn't care if he did. Well, Leah might.

Quil threw himself down next to me and our little pack was complete. Conversation flowed easily. The good-natured banter between the packs was always present, as was Paul's temper when anyone dared say anything about him. Though whenever Rachel was around he got himself in check pretty quickly, Emily's scars a constant reminder about what could happen if any of us lost our cool.

I kind of felt sorry for Quil. Unlike Nessie, who occasionally stopped by with Jake, Quil's imprint was the only one who wasn't present at these meetings, although it did lead to fantastic jokes about it being past his bedtime. Leah, Jake and I had a running bet over how many times we could mention it before he told us to 'shut up' or 'fuck off' (I'm the reigning champion with thirty six).

"Oh, Owen's here, hang on," Seth said, leaping up from his spot- leaving a Seth sized gap between me and Leah- before making his way over to the youngest cub.

Seth, Collin and Brady had formed a close bond with the cubs, all of them being so young when they first phased. Seth quickly caught up to Owen and the pair sat down next to Quil, already heavily debating the pro's and cons of the shooter game Seth'd bought last week.

Leah leant back, making sure that Seth wasn't planning on coming back anytime soon.

"Head or feet?" she asked quickly.

Jake was too busy talking to Old Quil to notice Leah's practically silent question so I called head. With that she stretched, unfurling her body like a cat before repositioning herself in the space her brother had left behind. She settled on her back, her head resting in my lap as she reached her legs across and draped her feet in Jakes lap, instantly gaining his attention.

He took one look at her feet before staring at her face. Raising an eyebrow he asked, "Aren't you meant to call it first?"

"I did," she laughed, "You just weren't listening."

"Cheater," Jake mumbled before returning to his previous conversation.

It was normal for Leah to play the head and feet game but it was unusual to do it around me. She preferred, for whatever reason, to keep our contact to a minimum, something she wasn't really fussed about doing with the rest of the pack.

With the arrival of Owen, the hotdogs were brought out and we began cooking them over the fire. Leah didn't lift her head from my lap, even when she began eating. I was having a hard time concentrating, too busy watching the way she licked the sauce from the corner of her plump lips, and ended up burning over half my hotdogs in the process. When we were done eating Leah curled up on her side, her cheek smashed into my leg and Billy started the stories.

To be honest, Billy could have been talking about the time when aliens landed their spaceship on James Island and captured half the tribe before Superman showed up and saved them all and I wouldn't have noticed. I was trying not to look at the beautiful girl sprawled out beside me, but I was still hyperaware of her presence. Every shift, every sigh, even the tiniest movement captured my attention.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

A girl should never have this much of an effect on me. It wasn't normal. But then again, _I_ wasn't normal, and neither was Leah. Even if she'd never phased into a wolf the girl wouldn't be anywhere near normal. She was too perfect for that.

Probably about halfway through Billy's story I noticed a small movement to my left. Jacob, I saw with a flash of white hot jealousy, was tenderly rubbing Leah's feet, wedged firmly in his lap. I swallowed bile as I saw him lift her left foot to get better access. She sighed in contentment and I practically saw red.

_What the fuck was he _doing_?_

I tried to control my raging emotions by reasoning that our Alpha had an imprint. He wouldn't- _couldn't_- do anything with Leah- the bond was too strong, even if he actually wanted to break it, which I doubted. It was just a foot rub. A meaningless foot rub. That she was enjoying. Immensely.

I knew that the two of them shared an almost brother/sister relationship, but the key word is _almost_. It could have just been me but what they were doing right now looked fucking intimate.

I don't know whether it was a wolf thing or simply a male thing but I suddenly felt the need to make my presence known. To show my interest and stake my claim, two things I knew I couldn't do. Especially in front of the packs and the elders. So I settled for performing my own act of comfort.

Throwing my carefully laid plans of minimum contact aside, I gently and tentatively started stroking her hair. She'd grown it to just past her shoulders, the longest she could manage in her wolf form without her looking ridiculous.

It felt better than I'd imagined and I almost groaned at the contact. Her hair shone like black silk, and it felt like it too. So soft and thick. My fingers gently tugged through the small knots at the nape of her neck as she twisted round, casting me a puzzled look before shrugging and relaxing to my touch. I expected her to roll back over to her previous position, but her eyes stayed locked with mine, the fire creating dancing shadows across her smooth skin.

I didn't know whether to stop or not, this felt too close, too cosy and totally unfamiliar to what we'd been before. I was in completely uncharted territory, but she seemed to be enjoying it nearly as much as I was so I didn't see the harm.

At the risk of sounding like an utter ass, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. Nothing else mattered but the woman in front of me and her stunning eyes as they bore through me. Part of me hoped that she could see into the depths of them and figure out how I felt about her. The other- larger- part of me was shit scared of Leah finding out I was interested in her. It wasn't because if she wanted to she could easily kill me. It was because I couldn't stand the thought of her rejecting me.

I would understand it though. She was possibly the hottest girl on the planet- even if she didn't know it- and what was I? Just a normal guy who just so happened to be over 6ft 4" with more muscles than I could count. Other girls would find me attractive- the reaction I received when I went out in Forks was testament to that- but not to Leah, who was always surrounded by the wolves. Our looks didn't affecther in the slightest.

Someone cleared their throat nearby, causing me to snap out of my Leah induced trance. Leah's eyes shot to the direction of the sound. She looked bewildered, almost as if she'd been in some sort of freaky trance too. _Had she?_

I looked up, following Leah's eye line, to see Sam glaring at us from across the fire pit. Sam didn't usually intimidate me, but seeing his fierce gaze through the licking flames of the fire almost caused a shiver to roll up my spine.

"Story's over." He stated.

I looked round then, for the first time noticing everyone packing up. Half the people were already making their way down towards the road. _How could I not have noticed that?_

"Huh?" Leah asked, as she looked around us. She was obviously just as clueless as I had been. Jake had even managed to move her feet out of the way and get up without her realising.

Leah seemed oblivious to Sam's murderous expression, but I wasn't. I stared right back, getting increasingly angry as the seconds ticked by. Only one person could cause that expression; Leah. Sam had no fucking right to be angry or jealous, or whatever the fuck he was. Leah wasn't his. Plus it wasn't like we were doing anything. It's not like we'd been kissing or anything. Making out right in front of everyone.

I quickly shoved that thought to the back of my mind- I didn't need to explain why I was suddenly sporting a raging boner while staring tensely at Sam, that'd be awkward to say the least.

After what seemed like hours Emily appeared beside Sam, "You ready to go? Everything's packed up."

Sam quickly hopped up, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I should have helped you. You didn't lift anything too heavy did you?" He asked, concerned, as he cupped her scarred face in his hands before placing chaste kisses on her lips.

I didn't notice Emily's reply as Leah rolled her eyes before stretching out her body, her back arching up off the ground as she yawned. Her arms spread across my lap but my eyes zeroed in on her stomach. Her shirt had ridden up with her movements, exposing the tight, washboard bronzed skin of her stomach. It took all my concentration not to reach out and lightly skim my fingertips over her flesh, moving them up slowly until I cupped her perfectly formed breasts in my palms. Her eyes, which had closed during her stretching, suddenly snapped open when she relaxed, so I quickly looked away.

"C'mon, Em. We better get going," she yawned.

She heaved herself up before extending her hand to help me. Usually I'd just hop up without any aid but the opportunity to hold Leah's hand was too tempting. Christ, I needed to get over my little infatuation. I was starting to act like damn teenage girl.

But hell, her hand was soft, surprising considering she ran through the forest all day.

I instantly released her hand as soon as I was standing, not wanting to alert suspicion, especially from Leah but also the beady eyes of the pack, some still hovering around the bonfire, and I quickly made my excuses and left to make the short dark walk home before hopping into an extremely cold shower.

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In the days that followed the bonfire I did my best to avoid Leah, avoiding patrol altogether on some days. My thoughts were becoming all consuming, getting worse as the hours ticked by, getting closer and closer to when Leah would find out if she got the job.

I felt like a complete ass avoiding her, especially given the fact that I was the one she could talk to about her interview, but I knew there was no way I'd be able to hide my feelings from her, or from the rest of the pack. I'd been able to suppress them for so long but I think the prospect of her leaving La Push, leaving me, fuelled my desires and fantasies to new heights.

Quil already knew what was going with me and I couldn't risk anyone else knowing. It wasn't just that Quil'd been right when he said that Seth couldn't control his thoughts. I knew both him and Jake would make a big deal out of it and blow everything out of proportion, threatening my life, and more importantly, my balls if I were to ever hurt her. Me reassuring them that I had no plans to act on my feelings wouldn't be good enough.

So I spent most of my week trying to think of excuses to get out of phasing, for once thanking the powers that be that my mom was in the dark about the wolf side of me, blaming her for my lack of patrolling, claiming that she had me on lock down.

I was a nervous wreck on Wednesday, the day Leah would find out whether she got the job. For her it would be the day she found out whether her life was going to change or not. I suppose the same could be said for me too. My life would definitely have to change if Leah wasn't in it.

I could barely concentrate on anything, the dishes my mom got me to wash after dinner that night still had flecks of spaghetti on them, though I shoved them in the overflowing cupboards regardless.

I almost dropped and smashed the glasses I was carrying when my phone buzzed to life in my pocket. I set the glasses down quickly and scrambled for my phone before it stopped ringing. The zips added to my cut off pockets were extremely useful when I phased and stopped my stuff flying all over the forest, not so much when my nerves were shot to shit and I had to get my phone out.

"Hello?" I called into the mouthpiece, not even bothering to see who it was. "Hello?"

"Embry…"

"Leah? Hey good to hear from you, girl!" I announced as if it wasn't my fault that we hadn't seen each other, hoping she wouldn't see through it.

"Embry…" she whispered, her tone sounding completely off.

"Are you ok?"

"Not really."

"What's wrong? Did you hear from them? Was it bad news? I'm so sorry."

She chuckled, but it was a bitter sound, "No, though thanks for having so much faith in me." She muttered sarcastically.

I apologised, tugging my hand through my hair, "So what's up?"

"I haven't heard from them at all," she practically wailed, "Urgh, it's all so frustrating! What does it even mean? It probably means I haven't got the job, even though the bastards told me they'd call either way. But…I can't help hoping that they just haven't decided yet. Or that they only decided right before the end of the day and didn't have a chance to call anyone. All these reasons just keep going round and round in my head and it's driving me insane. And it's not like I can talk to anyone about it because no one knows anything, and I haven't seen you in days and−"

I interrupted her rant before she passed out, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's ok, I guess. You've been busy and I should be able to keep my shit together by myself. But evidently I can't."

Well, didn't that just make me feel like a total jackass? She'd trusted me enough to tell me her secret and I knew it was with the hope that I'd be able to help her through it all (not that she'd ever admit that in a million years) and what had I done? I'd fucking ignored her.

"It's just all getting on top of me," she continued, her voice much softer and calmer than before, "I'd been pinning everything on finding out today and now that it hasn't happened I don't know what to do with myself. I just want it so bad," she whispered, "Have you ever wanted something that you knew was out of your reach, but you just couldn't help it?"

_Why yes, Leah, yes I have! _

I decided now probably wasn't the best time for me to answer that question honestly. In fact no time would be a good time, so I reassured her, "It's not out of your reach, Leah. You'd make the best damn journalist ever."

She laughed, "Thanks Embry. Hey did you maybe…want to come round?" she asked almost timidly, "I know I'm being pathetic and I get it if you don't want to listen to me ramble and moan and feel sorry for myself all evening but if I don't get it off my chest I'm going to be clawing at the walls. Literally."

"Well, for the sake of Sue's walls I'm sure I can manage to spend the evening with you." I laughed, though on the inside I knew it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Thanks, Em. I'll see you in a bit?"

I agreed then she hung up. I put away the rest of the dishes, knowing that the rest of my evening would be torture. Sweet torture, but torture none the less.

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**A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all the fantastic reviews for the last chapter. I hate asking people tell me if they want me to continue or not, but I've got so much going on blah, blah, blah!**

**Anyway, as you can see, I'm definitely continuing the story and I will finish it. I think the next chapter's going to be the final one, with an epilogue afterwards, but I won't know until I write it.**

**Also, I didn't win any awards, but one of the stories I nominated won, so I count that as a partial victory! Thanks to whoever nominated me/ voted for me though. **

**As always, please make my day by leaving a little review**

**Merry Christmas (or anything else you may be celebrating. If you're not, then happy December!).**


	3. House call

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A/N: I just wanted to say a massive, massive thank you to everyone for their support on this story. Honestly, the reviews, alerts and favourites mean so much, and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to do so. I really hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Universe, nor any of the characters (despite my wishes). Only the plot is mine.**

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I knocked on the door three times, each sound echoing in the silence of the early evening. I rubbed my palms over my thighs, failing to rid them of their clamminess. It was frustrating to know I was getting so worked up over a simple evening with a friend. Admittedly, said friend was as hot as the deepest pits of hell, a place I'd surely be destined for if she ever found out I liked her.

_Yeah,_ I told myself, _no reason to be nervous at all. _

It wasn't like I had to share my mind with Leah this evening. If I could work it right, I could probably even manage to spend the whole time on the opposite side of the room.

Just then the door burst open.

"Finally," Leah muttered as she stepped back to let me in.

I smiled as I passed her. "I barely took fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes is a hell of a long time when you're going half crazy."

Keeping in mind my plan to stay as far away from Leah as humanly possible, I quickly darted to the armchair, sprawling myself across it, leaving the big three-seater for her. In the back of my mind I knew I was being a bit childish− ok, _a lot_ childish− but it seemed like a good plan.

As Leah curled up on the sofa, tucking her long legs beneath her, her body turned away from me and towards the TV, I realised that this seating arrangement meant that I could watch her without being noticed. I couldn't decide whether that ruined my plan, or whether I'd hit the jackpot.

"I was thinking," she started, her head lazily rolling to the side, to peek at me, "that we could order in some pizza, if you're hungry? What am I saying? Of course you're hungry."

I chuckled. "Well, I've had dinner, but yeah, I could eat something else."

An hour and a half later, we'd managed to make our way through most of the four pizza's Leah'd ordered as well as half of Die Hard 4. The fact that Leah loved action movies almost as much as I did wasn't lost on me.

"Embry?" she questioned, rising up slightly from her sprawled position on the floor.

"Hmm?" I muffled round a mouthful of crust.

"What do you think'll happen if I haven't got this job?"

So far she hadn't mentioned anything about our little trip to Seattle, and I was more than a little disappointed to learn that, despite my presence, it was still playing on her mind. "Don't be stupid, Leah, you'll−"

"−Don't tell me I'll get the job," she cut me off. "I don't want to talk about whether I've got the job or not, especially as it's not exactly looking likely right now." She held up her hand when she saw I was about to interrupt. "I want to know what'll happen if I don't. What'll I do? I've never wanted to be anything else, and we've got so many restrictions on us already, being what we are, that I honestly haven't got a clue what to do."

"Ok," I started, trying desperately to think of something to say. I didn't want to entertain her idea that she hadn't got the job, but I could tell she wanted me say something constructive by the soft pleading in her eyes. "If you don't get this job, it doesn't mean that you have to give up on what you want. Say the Seattle Times don't want you− which I highly doubt anyway− you can apply to different papers. I know you really want this, and I'm still convinced you're in with a shot, but if you don't then it's not the end of the world. There are thousands of papers out there and I'm sure at least one will want you."

She snorted and turned her gaze back to the TV.

"What?" I asked, curious as to why she'd decided to ignore my, quite frankly, stellar advice.

"I just find that hard to believe. What self respecting paper would employ me, little girl from a reservation, absolutely no writing experience to show for herself? The rez school wasn't even big enough to have its own paper. I know, I asked, and they laughed me down when I suggested starting one. I bet all the other applicants had at least one article they could show them. What did I have? Nothing, that's what. I don't know why I even tried," she grumbled.

I quickly ducked down onto the floor, kneeling in front of her, determined to stop her thoughts dead in their tracks. Since when did Leah ever think she wasn't good enough?

"Leah, look at me. You're being ridiculous. Of course they'll want you. Who wouldn't? You're amazing." I realised I was crossing over into dangerous territory here− if this was a war field it would have signs reading 'DANGER, MINES' pasted all over it− but I didn't care. "Don't you ever, ever, sell yourself short. You're worth more than that and you damn well know it. So what if you didn't have anything to show them on paper? Do you know what you have in spades that all the other applicants didn't have?" She shrugged, her eyes becoming increasingly wide the further I let my rant go on. "Determination. You're more determined than anyone else I know, and there's no way they didn't see that. They'd have to be blind. And if they don't hire you, then they're fucking idiots."

I was breathing heavily by the end of my little speech and I knew it wasn't just my imagination when the room became tense.

Leah hadn't moved. She was still staring at me, her eyes as wide as saucers, mouth slightly agape. Then she blushed. Leah Clearwater actually blushed. _Well, fuck!_ How can someone be cute and sexy at the same time? It should be impossible, but Leah seemed to be able to achieve it effortlessly, without even knowing she was doing it.

I could just hear the ringmaster now-_ 'Roll up, roll up, one and all to see the Amazing Leah Clearwater and her amazingly impossible face. Is it cute? Is it sexy? It's both!' _

I wondered what Leah's reaction would be if I told her that her follow up career could be as a side show in a circus− she'd slot in nicely between the clowns and the bearded lady. I thought better of voicing my brilliant idea out loud− I'd probably get a better reaction if I just fessed up and told her I wanted to bang her.

Leah cleared her throat and I suddenly realised how awkward the situation was. At some point during my speech I must have leant forward− my face was less than a foot away from her, my body even closer. Our eyes were boring into each others and I still breathing heavily, though now it was for different reasons.

I went to shuffle back so that I could stand; planning a hasty retreat to the safety of my secluded armchair, but Leah's small hand shot out and grasped my arm.

"Thank you," she said softly, her eyes now anywhere but me. "I needed to hear that."

Clearing my throat, I mumbled an acceptance before practically scrambling into the chair. I focused my attention back on the TV and Leah did the same, awkward silence thick in the air as she planted herself back on the couch.

I'd let things go too far, said too much, and I knew I'd been dangerously close to saying something that alerted Leah to my fucked up, confusing feelings. There was no way she hadn't detected the passion in my voice as I defended her.

The more time I spent with her, the more my feelings were beginning to make sense in my own head. I knew she was hot, that much was obvious, but I'd seen plenty of hot girls and none of them had the same affect on me as Leah did.

Did I love Leah? No, I didn't think so. I knew her, literally inside and out, but our relationship thus far had only reached friend stage, a stage that had taken a long time to get to.

Could I see myself loving Leah? Yes, of that I was certain. Leah was definitely the kind of girl I could imagine myself falling in love with. The _only_ girl I could imagine myself falling in love with.

A rather un-lady like snort from the girl in question broke me from my thoughts.

"I hate that," she announced, breaking the uncomfortable silence that I'd felt pressing down on me since I'd resumed my position in the armchair.

"Hate what?"

"That they cut off McClane's line. It's not a proper Die Hard movie unless he's says it."

"He does say it," I argued.

"Pah, he does not. The line's 'yippee-ki-ay mother fucker.' They completely cut off the motherfucker. That right there is a no-no. Nobody cuts off John McClane!"

I laughed, completely lost for words. _How the hell does she know this shit? _

"Stop laughing at me. I made a legitimate point," Leah huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Sorry. I just don't get you sometimes. One minute you're upset, the next you're swearing like a sailor."

I knew I'd said the wrong thing as soon as the words escaped my lips. Her body hardened instantly, her jaw set. The deep scowl that used to be her permanent expression a year ago had made a bigger comeback than the Spice Girls. Quicker too.

I desperately wracked my brain trying to figure out what I'd said that was so wrong. I couldn't find anything. The female mind was a mystery to me at the best of times, never mind what could cause it to trigger offence. I could've punched myself. I'd fucked up, upset her, and without knowing how, there was no way I couldn't fix it.

Leah's body was still rigid, she was clamming up in the literal sense, and I knew it'd only get worse the longer I left it.

"Leah?" I asked tentatively. No response. "Leah? C'mon, what'd I do?" Nothing.

With no other option, I left the relative safety of the chair. Anyone watching me would've thought I was about to face a firing squad by the way I slowly crawled forward towards Leah. Her legs were tucked beneath her again, allowing me to get close enough to hit my knees on the sofa. When she didn't move, I stretched up, gently tugging her chin until she met my gaze.

"Whatever I've done, I'm sorry," I pleaded. "Please tell me what I've done."

"Hmph." Leah ripped her chin from my hand. "I can't help that I'm not a girl anymore!" she spat.

"What?" What the fuck did that have to do with anything?

_And she better still be a girl or I've got orientation issues._

"I can't help that I 'swear like a sailor'," she mocked. "Or that I like action movies. Or maybe that's not the problem at all; maybe it's that I actually let my feelings show for once."

As far as I was concerned she could have been speaking a foreign language for all the sense she was making, but it seemed as if this had been brewing for a long time.

"Where's all this come from?" I pressed.

"I don't know," she sighed, her anger visibly deflating. "I…guess it's just that since joining the pack I don't really know where I stand. I can't fit in with all of you, I'm not a guy. And yet I can't fit in with the imprints either. I can't bake, or sew, and I don't really care about any of that stuff anyway. I'm too brash to fit in with them. As you said, I get all upset about stuff, sounding like a complete girl and then I have to embarrass myself with my mouth, sounding like one of the guys."

I tugged her chin again, making sure she was looking at me. "Ok, you're being ridiculous now. Leah, no one's expecting you to just fit in, to pop right out of a cookie cutter. You're you, and that's fine. And you weren't embarrassing yourself. You swear, so the fuck what? It's one of the things I love about you."

_Whoa, rein it in there, Embry!_

If I'd wanted to punch myself before, it was nothing compared to how I was feeling now. I wanted to run myself over− if that were even possible. I'd said the 'L' word. In what alternate universe had my brain decided it was ok to just blurt that out?

_Don't panic, evade. Don't panic, evade. Don't panic, evade. _

I kept repeating the manta Jared had instilled in me every time I needed to get passed my mom to go and patrol.

_Don't make it sound like you love her, turn it into something a friend would say. _

I almost scoffed at the idea, but I gave it a try anyway. "You don't have to fit a specific mould. You're unique, and that's not a bad thing," I assured.

Leah's body relaxed somewhat and her gaze dropped to her lap. "I'd just like to feel like a girl sometimes," she whispered.

"Huh?"

"I just find it hard, especially after…Sam," she swallowed. "to express what I'm feeling. I don't open up to anyone, and it was a really big step just to let you in. That combined with all the time I've spent with the pack these past few years practically makes me feel like guy. I pretty much think like one now. Plus the fact that I became a wolf in the first place, something that should never've happened. Well, it all just adds up and I end up feeling like this." She motioned to herself. "For once I'd just like to feel a bit feminine without ruining it moments later. It's a wonder I don't just let my girl side go, and give up completely."

My hand was still on her chin, so I pulled her towards me, and my brain left my body. It left the state. It left the country as I swiftly brought my lips to hers.

What was I thinking? How the hell should I know? There was something about her confession, the way her lips quirked as she kept pouring her heart out, the way her eyes looked so dejected, the way she looked so unsure of herself, that made me want to kiss her. Made me want to show her that _I_ thought she was a girl, one that could be desired and admired just as much as any imprint. I couldn't believe Leah had been comparing herself to them, thinking she was so much less than they were just because she wasn't a Stepford Wife, because in reality she was so much more. More beautiful, more fun, more passionate. Just more.

Our lips connected and I could've sworn I felt an electric current race through me. She tasted unbelievable. Her lips were soft, yet firm against mine as she began to kiss me back. I moved my hand up, cupping her delicate face in my palm as I lost myself in the kiss. It was far better than I ever could've imagined, and I'd imagined this moment plenty of times. A soft groan escaped her lips as her tongue lightly traced the seam of my own. I opened my mouth, letting our tongues grapple with one another as I raised myself up on my knees to lean over her, pressing our chests together. Her hands wove themselves into my hair as she pulled me down. It was crazy, I felt like I couldn't get close enough to her, no matter how hard I tried.

After what felt like an eternity and mere seconds at the same time, we broke apart. I sat back, gasping for breath as my eyes connected with Leah's. She was breathing heavily, her chest− I was glad to note− heaving with the effort. Her brown eyes were half-lidded in lust but they quickly opened wide in confusion. Her cheeks flamed in true Bella Swan fashion and she looked anywhere but me.

"What was that?" she mumbled.

I couldn't resist teasing her. "That, Leah, was a kiss."

She scowled at me, clearly forgetting in her anger that she was supposed to be embarrassed. "I know that, Jackass. _Why_ did you kiss me?"

"You kissed me back," I defended, but swiftly changed my tune when I saw the murderous glint in her eye. "I just…wanted to make you feel like a girl."

"Well…ummm…mission accomplished, I s'pose."

"Hmm, well…ok," I replied lamely.

I couldn't bring myself to regret kissing her. It was the single greatest encounter I'd ever had with the opposite sex− any sex. I knew Leah'd enjoyed it too− no one could kiss back like that if they weren't feeling it− but it was crystal clear from Leah's body language that, for whatever reason, she _did_ regret it.

"I'm sorry, Leah."

"Why're you sorry?"

"I just didn't think. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you probably shouldn't. But I can't say I regret it."

I sighed. "Don't lie."

"I'm not," she shrugged. "I don't regret kissing you. I regret that's all it'll ever be, a kiss."

My head snapped up instantly. "What do you mean?"

_She wanted it to be more than just a kiss. Surely she didn't want sex with me, did she? _

"Oh, for god sake, Embry, I didn't mean it like _that_." She slapped my arm, obviously read my mind. "Look, you're a nice guy. A really nice guy. And in a normal world, when a nice guy kisses a girl, things… progress. I know you were just trying to make me feel better and you don't feel that way about me, but it'd just be nice to think that we lived in a world where this−" She motioned between us. "− at least had the potential to go anywhere."

I knew what she meant. It was what everything boiled down to with Leah. Imprinting. I was an un-imprinted wolf and that little fact meant I had the potential to be her next Sam. I wasn't even going to begin to fantasise that Leah had meant that she was interested in me, she merely thought it was a shame that we had very few options open to us until we imprinted.

I didn't want to push her. I could spend hours going over why we should try to be together, how we could fight imprinting if it ever occurred, but there was little point. Sam and Emily had left a permanent mark on Leah, there was no way she would, or could, ever go back to the girl she'd been before her life was affected by the supernatural, and there was no way she'd ever want to end up with another wolf, let alone me.

There was also no point in suggesting something casual between us, an arrangement of sorts until we found our imprints. I didn't just want Leah for sex, I wanted all of her, mind, body and soul. She didn't want me like that.

I realised then that I'd been secretly hoping that my growing feelings would get me somewhere, but it all came crashing down around me. Even if Leah liked me the way I liked her, even if she loved me, it wouldn't make a difference.

It took me seconds to come to my realisation, perhaps it'd been in the back of mind all along. I wasn't sure what to do now.

"Maybe, I-I…should go," I stammered, pushing myself up from the balls of my feet.

"Maybe, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You don't to be sorry, Leah. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"No you shouldn't. I meant it when I said I didn't regret kissing you."

By now we'd reached her front door and I opened it slowly. "I don't either."

"Still friends?"

"Still friends," I smiled.

She returned my smile with one of her own after blowing out a long breath of air. "I'll… see you soon?"

"Yeah. Let me know if you hear anything about the job tomorrow."

"I will."

I couldn't help the events of this evening roll around in my head as I walked home. I'd kissed Leah. Actually kissed her, and amazingly, she'd kissed me back. It should've been one of the happiest nights of my life, but instead it felt like one of the worst. I just ended up wishing with all my heart that I'd imprinted on Leah Clearwater.

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**A/N: Thoughts? Opinions? Feelings? There's a little review box where you put all of that stuff!**

**In good news, I'm certain that there's at least one more chapter plus the epilogue. It's really bizarre; this story is turning out so different to how I originally imagined it. It's still going to end up in the same place, but so many things just end up popping up on the page that I can't recall ever giving my permission to be there.**

**Anywho, reviews are welcomed, encouraged and much appreciated**


	4. Sleeping Beauty

**A/N: Once again, thank you to every who's shown an interest in this story. You're all amazing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of the characters. **

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"Yo, man, pass me the damn wrench."

"Geez, Jake, there's no need to be snappy about it," I grumbled as I tossed the wrench across the room. Jacob caught it easily before sliding back under the hood of the truck.

"I've been asking you for about five minutes now. You completely zoned out on me."

"Sorry, man. Just got a lot of stuff on my mind right now."

"No worries. You wanna talk about it?" his voice echoed out from under the truck.

"Not really."

"M'kay."

And that right there was the reason I loved Jake so much− in a strictly platonic way, of course. Although, I could admit Jake was a handsome specimen, plus his ability to know when to back off and let a subject drop and when to press you for information was pretty damn girly.

He called this morning, wondering whether I wanted to hang out in his garage with him while he worked on Old Quil's truck, and I'd literally jumped at the chance. It wasn't often that I got to see him nowadays, Nessie took up most of his time and when he wasn't seeing his imprint he was busy doing Alpha crap. On top of that, I desperately needed a distraction. Leah had been on my mind since leaving hers the night before. Actually, she'd been on my mind for weeks. I'd thought my obsession couldn't get any worse, but fuck me with a spoon, ever since we'd kissed it was like my brain had completely shut down.

Spending the morning with Jake, and his ability to put anyone at ease, was exactly what I needed. What I didn't need was the two hours of patrol I was due to run with Seth that afternoon. Of all the people Jacob could've put me with, he chose to stick me with Leah's brother. Either Jake really didn't know about my feelings for Leah, as I suspected, or I just had a really crappy best friend.

I tried to reason with myself that two hours wasn't a long time, and that I could get through it without thinking about Leah, about how beautiful she was, her smile, her hair, her plump, full lips that tasted oh so− _dammit!_

I couldn't even go five minutes without replaying last night− in great detail. Thank fuck Jake had been paying more attention to his work than to me− the amount of times I'd got a hard-on in the last hour wasn't even funny and would definitely lead to Jake wondering if I was harbouring some kind of thing for him if he'd noticed. Not that Jake wasn't attractive, but my heart, and my hard-on's, belonged to Leah.

I hadn't even been able to get any respite while I slept. My dreams revolved around Leah showing up on my doorstep declaring her undying love for me − in most of them it was raining and she had nothing on but her underwear, which in hindsight really should've been a sign that I was dreaming. I'd woken up time after time in a cold sweat, and with more wood than the Hoh rainforest.

In reality I knew that nothing was going to change. Leah would get the job, I had no doubt about that at all, and then she'd leave. It would solve some of my problems; at least I wouldn't have to look at her all day knowing that I couldn't be with her. Imprinting− or the risk of imprinting− sucked. Big time. Yet, I couldn't say I was exactly looking forward to her leaving either. I loved spending time with Leah and, the past couple of week's aside, hanging out with her was relaxing. I could just be me around her, not worry about what I was going to say or if there were going to be any awkward silences, and I could act natural without giving the wolf secret away.

"Earth to Embry. Hey! Emb, you in there?"

I was snapped out of my inner musings by Jake waving his hand right in front of my face.

_When the hell did he get out from under the truck?_

"Oh…um, sorry."

Jake chuckled. "It's fine. What the hell is up with you today?"

"I don't, just tired, I guess," I mumbled, yawning for dramatic effect. The truth was, because of my ridiculously optimistic dreams, I _was_ tired. But that wasn't the reason I kept zoning out.

"Do you wanna skip patrol today? I'm sure Seth can handle it by himself?"

Now, on a normal day I would've rejected that instantly. Not because Seth wasn't capable, but because I took my wolf duties seriously. What was the point in bursting out of your skin if you just shirked all the responsibilities that went with it? But this wasn't a normal day and the prospect of not having to share my mind with the object of my desire's little brother was tempting. Too tempting.

I yawned again, but quickly stifled it when I realised I was hamming it up a bit too much. "Thanks, Jake, that'd be awesome."

"Why don't you go home and have nap? You're dead on your feet."

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks mom," I drawled, earning a not too subtle eye roll from my Alpha.

I didn't really want to leave the sanctity of Jakes garage, but then again, it did give me the enviable option of not having to share my mind space with anyone for the rest of the day. So I did what any honourable guy would do in my position; I gave Jake a bro-hug and went on my merry way.

I passed the beach on my way back to my house and deliberated between going home for a nap, or trying to clear my head with a walk along the shore. Snorting, I realised the latter option would just turn me into one of those douches from the O.C.− who, incidentally, had completely stolen the concept from Dawson's Creek. Knowledge I'd gained only by mother's passion for crappy soap operas and teen dramas. After being subjected to a daily/ weekly breakdowns of their lives, sometimes it was just easier to watch the damn things with my mom in the first place. But my stellar TV knowledge wouldn't help me now. The only people to ever solve their problems by walking and staring off into middle distance were teens in dramas. I was a teen, and my life was a certainly a drama, but I didn't think it'd really help, and by the time I'd made up my mind I was already on my street anyway.

Switching my phone off, so that my nap would definitely be undisturbed, I flopped down on my tiny bed and within minutes I was asleep.

Like all my dreams recently, my mind conjured up an image of Leah, her beautiful eyes light with laughter, her plump lips curving at the corners, giving me a peek of the small dimples usually hidden in her golden, russet skin.

In this dream she was walking down the beach, no doubt in a vain attempt to solve her problems. I was about to call out to her that it was no use− she wasn't Joey, or Dawson, or Marissa, or whoever the hell Rachel Bilson played− but then she turned around, her raven hair glowing from the rays of the setting sun. The light framed her like a halo, and she looked just like an angel. I was rooted to the ground. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, I was frozen, captivated by the unnatural beauty before me. She laughed then, bringing her slender hand up so that she could motion me over.

"Embry?" she called, her voice dancing on the wind back to me.

I forced my feet to move, but the sand was too soft, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get closer to her.

"Embry?"

She laughed, still encouraging me forward, the sweetest smile on her face.

"Embry, you big idiot, come on!"

_What? _

She was still smiling, still looking crazy beautiful, but her voice was no longer playful, it sounded downright pissed.

"Embry, wake the fuck up!"

_Oh that's right, I'm sleeping, duh, Embry. Time to join the world of the living, Leah's trying to wake yo−_

Holy fuck. My mind suddenly snapped from dream state to overdrive. Leah was here. Leah was trying to wake me up. Leah was in my bedroom. Shit. I hoped I hadn't been talking in my sleep− that would've been awkward. If I had, I wasn't sure whether I'd rather Leah heard me mutter her name, or Marissa Cooper's, either one would've been extremely embarrassing, especially as Mischa Barton really didn't do it for me.

"Embry? Embry, you up?"

I tried to form a coherent response, but my grunt sounded far more animal than man.

She chuckled and I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, shaking me none too gently. I would've complained, but my girly side was rejoicing that she was actually touching me.

I wanted to stay in my oblivious state forever. If I pretended to sleep I wouldn't have to acknowledge that the girl of my dreams was in my room, touching me, while I'd woken up with a hard-on that I now had to try desperately to hide from her. Thank god I hadn't been bothered to take my jeans off when I'd got home and slept naked like normal. Yeah, I had about a hundred reasons to hide away, but Leah would know I was awake by now, stupid wolf hearing. She would've noticed my breathing shift and my heart pick up pace.

"Mornin' sunshine," she called loudly as soon as my eyes opened.

I blinked a couple of times, though not because the light was too bright. No, Leah Clearwater, Leah Fucking Clearwater, was perched next to me on the bed, _my_ bed, her long legs dangling over the side as her torso hovered above me, her perfect face right in front of mine.

She sat up as I stretched out my muscles.

I ran a hand down my face. "What're you doing here? And why the hell are you so chipper?" I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep. Then it struck me. The girl sat in front of me was far removed from the one who'd been in knots all week, and that could only mean one thing. "Oh my god, you heard from them, didn't you?"

Leah's whole face lit up as she smiled, biting her bottom lip between her teeth as she nodded vigorously. I didn't even have to ask her if it was good news or not, her face said it all.

"Congratulations," I breathed as I pulled her in for a hug.

In that moment, I wasn't thinking about staying away from her, or about the kiss we'd shared yesterday, I was just happy to see her smile the way she did in my dreams. I wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and brought the other one to the back of her head as she leaned into me. Her arms wove around my torso as her faced pressed up to my bare chest. She felt so tiny in my arms, so small and so warm. We could've stayed like that forever and I'd have been happy to, but after awhile she pulled away.

"They called about half an hour ago, I was trying to get hold of you, but your phone was off. I figured I'd come round here instead."

"Crap, sorry, I switched my phone off to get some sleep."

"Its fine, I forgive you," she laughed. "Your mom let me in. Good job I came round when I did, she was literally just on her way to work when I arrived."

"You could've broken in," I joked.

She snorted. "Please, like you were that desperate to know when I heard from them."

"I was," I replied sincerely.

"Thanks."

"What for?"

"Are you kidding? For everything! You didn't have to help me when I came to you, but you did. Then, not only did you waste a day of your life up in Seattle with me, you took the time to reassure me, keep me calm− which is pretty difficult to do. And you seemed genuinely interested in my fate."

"I am."

"Thanks, Embry."

"You're welcome. So…" I tried after a minute of silence. "What's the plan then?"

"Well," she took a deep breath. "They want me to start asap, but I said I'd need at least two weeks until I was able to move up there, which they gave me so…"

Leah continued on in an excited voice and I tried to pay attention, I really did, but her previous words were ringing in my head.

_Two weeks?_

_Two weeks. _

_Two weeks!_

_Two. Weeks. _

That's how long I had left with her. I'd thought about what it would be like to say goodbye to her, but it didn't really hit me until it was confirmed that she was leaving.

Leah was busily talking about flat viewings, completely oblivious to my meltdown, and I realised that with all the planning, packing and everything else that she had to do, my time with her was far more limited that two weeks.

_Would today be the last time I really got to see her, properly? _

I wanted to lock my bedroom door and hold her hostage for the rest of the day, determined to spend as much quality time with her as I could. But her next words scuppered that plan.

"…and Seth told me this morning that Jake's home all day today, so I'm going to go and see him in a bit, tell him the news."

"Aw, can't you wait 'til tomorrow?" I tried my luck.

"Nope. I've got patrol later."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I was being selfish; I wanted her to myself, just one last time, so I really couldn't understand why she couldn't let him know while they were on patrol. At least she'd know how pissed he was about it.

"I can't tell him on patrol, Embry," she chastised, reading my mind. "I owe it to Jake, after all he's done for me. I know he didn't split the pack for me, but that decision literally saved my life. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for him. I don't want to keep it from him anymore. He deserves a full explanation, and not one forced out by the mind link."

I nodded my head solemnly. I knew she was right and I knew I was being selfish.

"Hey." She nudged my shoulder, noticing my glum face. "I'll put in a good word for you as Beta."

"Pah, as if you have to. Look at his other options, dumb and dumber. I'm a shoe in."

"I resent that! Seth's not an idiot!" I shot her a sceptical look. "He's not. A bit…naïve, maybe, but he's not dumb."

"Ok, I'll give you that," I conceded as I sat crossed legged, leaning against the headboard.

"Hey? Why'd you still look miserable? You're gonna be Beta, I know it."

I knew I couldn't brush her off, Leah was way too intelligent for that. So I settled for the truth, well, as much of the truth as I was willing to reveal. "S'not that. It's just…I don't know. It just feels real now, you know?" She nodded. "Like…I knew you'd get the job, I had no doubts−"

"Oh, come on!" she interrupted, disbelieving.

"It's true," I defended. I broke eye contact, instead choosing to watch as my hands played nervously with my quilt. "I knew you'd get it, and I thought that I'd thought about what that would mean. But I guess having you talk about telling everyone has confirmed it and…well, it's shit," I finished rather eloquently.

"Don't be an idiot, Embry. It's not like you'll miss me, no one else will."

My eyes snapped to hers once again. She was joking, but I could tell by her tone that she thought it was true.

"You've got to be kidding me! Leah, everyone's going to miss you. Ok, maybe not Paul," I tacked on the end after she snorted. She laughed. "And not just our pack. There's the other pack, your mom, Billy, and I know Old Quil'll miss perving on you at council meetings." _Stupid old man._ "And then there's the Cullens−"

"Oh yeah," she drawled, leaning back on the bed so she could tuck her feet under herself. "I bet they'll really miss my sarcasm and snarky attitude."

"I think it keeps them on their toes. You know, gives them something do. Living forever must get pretty boring after a while."

She laughed. She'd been doing that a lot since she arrived here and I tried to commit each on to memory. Something I could cling onto when she was gone, living her life without me in it. That hurt, even though I'd only been a small part of her life here, to know I'd be left behind.

The room was quiet then, I was contemplating what life would like when she'd gone and I could tell by the pensive look on her face that she was thinking the same. I wondered why she'd gone from being over the moon to suddenly down in the dumps.

"Hey?" I leaned forward, reaching up to tilt her chin towards me. "What's wrong?"

"I just…I just…urgh!" she groaned, ripping her chin from my hand. "Why do I always get like this with you?"

"Like what?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Like I want to spill my guts to you. You always seem to know when something's wrong with me."_ Oh, crap, she's figuring it out._ _She's going to put two and two together and realise I like her._ _Shit._ "I don't know what it is, but it just feels like I can talk to you about stuff, stuff that I wouldn't dream of telling anyone else. And it pisses me off. I don't want to be… you know what, never mind."

"No, come on, finish. You don't want to be?" I encouraged. She'd piqued my curiosity.

She took a deep breath. "I don't want to be…vulnerable. Around you, around anyone. But I am. With you. And I'm just so used to being in control and being able to hide how I'm feeling, even when we're phased, that it's kind of un-nerving to be sat here human and feel like I can't keep a lid on it."

"Then tell me," I offered, beyond flattered that she felt like that around me. I wasn't stupid enough to hope that it was because of some crazy alternate universe where she actually liked me back. Most people felt they could come and talk to me about shit, probably because I was quiet, but was nice to know that Leah felt like that too.

"Well…I don't know. I know I'm probably being silly. Don't get me wrong, I'm so uber excited about this job, it's unreal. I actually squealed when I got off the phone earlier. Squealed! Like a fucking fan girl. Well, probably more like a pig, actually, but that's beside the point. I _am_ excited, it's just, I'm just… worried. So many things can go wrong. What if I can't stop phasing? What if I find an apartment and it's really crappy and infested with rats? What if I'm crap at the job, or I get there and then realise that it's not what I want? I know I'm not exactly Miss Popular here, but what if I get there and no one likes me? What if I make absolutely no friends? What if I'm all alone?" she finished, sucking in a big breath as her wide, panic filled eyes met mine.

I drew in my own large breath, ready to put a stop to all her fears as soon as I could. It was downright scary to see Leah looking so…so lost. And I _needed_ to make it better.

"Ok, first off, you_ are_ being silly. Of course you can stop phasing. Your control is amazing now−" I held up my hand when she went to interrupt. "It _is_. Yeah, you phase out of anger occasionally but the guys in Sam's pack give you twice, no, _three _times the shit they give us and yet you phase a hell of a lot less. Honestly, your control now is only second to Jake's, and the guy's a machine."

She smiled slightly and I noticed an adorable faint blush creep up on her cheeks. Determined to make her tomato red by the time I finished, I continued, using my fingers to tick off all the points she'd raised as I went. "If your apartment's crappy then get a new one. And don't worry about rats, you're a fucking wolf, they'll run a mile if you growl at them. You'll be brilliant at the job, there's no way you can't be and of course you're going to love it. And you really are the biggest idiot on the planet if you think no one'll like you. How could they not like you? I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're amazing. It's that simple.

"You went through some shit here, and yeah, you were a bitch for a while, but that's not you. You're kind and sweet and generous, even if you try and hide it. You're so smart it's scary and you stand up for yourself. You don't take crap and you can cut anyone down to size. But the main reason people will love you is your heart, Leah. I _know_ the reason you why you fell off the deep end after you first phased. You gave yourself, your heart, everything you had you gave away to other people. Sam, Seth, your mom, your…dad," I paused, feeling guilty for bringing up Harry. "Emily. So when things started to go wrong, you didn't know what to do. You thought that giving your heart away was the problem, so you completely shut off. You−"

I was so into my little speech, so determined to make her see what I saw, that I didn't notice her eyes filling with tears, or even notice when she moved. That was until her lips crashed onto mine.

I was so shocked, I couldn't even move. Not that I could move much anyway; Leah'd dived into my lap in an effort to get to my lips. She pressed herself against me as I finally came to life, my left arm snaking round her slim waist as my other hand gently stroked her hair. Her hands glided up my shoulders and she pressed her hands palm flat against my cheeks as she attacked my mouth. I'd just deepened the kiss, her teeth nibbling along my lower lip when I felt my face get wet. Soon enough I could taste the salty tang of what must've been her tears and I pulled back, keeping my arm firmly around her so she couldn't get off my lap. Her legs dangled awkwardly across my thigh as her ass dipped into the hollow between my crossed legs.

Cupping her face, I gazed into her cloudy eyes in concern. I didn't have time to ask her what was wrong.

Looking up at me through her thick lashes, looking more vulnerable than I'd ever seen her, she asked in a quiet, "How do you know so much about me?"

_Because I've followed your every move for months. Because I think about you all the freaking time. _

I smirked. "Well, I do spend a lot of time in your head."

"But so do the rest of the guys and they don't know me like you do."

"Well…I…um." How the hell was I supposed to answer that? If she hadn't been moving away it might have been worth just ending my torture and confessing to her. But the torture would be over soon. I would be losing her soon enough. "I-I…just pay attention I guess."

"Bullshit. You've got a reason, a pretty good one judging by the blush on your face. I'm onto something, aren't I?" she asked, grinning ear to ear.

Not trusting my voice, I shook my head.

"Nah-uh, Embry. You're not getting out of this so easily. What is it? Umm, maybe you're just paying attention so you can hold all of this against me later," she joked. "You know, reveal to the world I actually have feelings. Or maybe…hell, I've got nothing. Come on, tell me."

"Nope."

"Tell me."

"Nope."

"Tell me."

"No."

"_Tell me_!" she whined.

"I like you, ok?" I blurted, practically shouting. "I like you."

_OH, FUCK. _

_Why did I just do that? _

I wracked my brain for an explanation, but once again it'd deserted me. She hadn't even been prying too hard− I'd been trying harder than that to cover my feelings in wolf form and I hadn't cracked then. Why now? I started into Leah's face, only finding horror in her expression. I wanted to run, to escape the inevitable rejection, and the pain, both mental and physical, but she was still sat in my lap completely frozen.

I opened my mouth before snapping it shut again. I had nothing to say. I'd blown it. Blown any chance of keeping Leah in my life as a friend. She wouldn't want to know me after this.

But then Leah always was one to surprise me.

Her lips moulded with mine perfectly, and I was lost.

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**A/N: Sorry to leave it there, but otherwise this chapter would've got way out of hand! **

**Also, sorry if Leah's actions can sometimes seem out of place. Remember, it's not just Embry who's got a lot of stuff floating round his head. Leah's thinking everything through too. I'm toying with making at least part of the epilogue in Leah's POV, let me know if you want that or just all Embry. **

**So there's one more chapter left. Definitely (I think!), I won't be 100% sure one that until I write it, but there's not a lot left to go now. So one more chapter, then the epilogue and then we're done : ( I've had so much fun working on this story so far. **

**As always, please, please, please review. It's fantastic getting feedback. Otherwise it's difficult to know whether people actually enjoyed the chapter or not. And there's no way I (or anyone else) can improve without feedback, so reviews = better stories. **


	5. Confessions

**A/N: Well, I've recently discovered the art of writing while listening to music, and it's made the whole process so much easier! And in random news, there's a new pub opening by me called the Blackwater Stream, how awesome is that? Anyway…**

**This is definitely the last chapter, only the epilogue to come. **

**Quick shout out to GorbsGirl: I wouldn't read this chapter at work if I was you. This is the one where the rating earns its keep ;)**

**Disclaimer: The Twilight universe is not mine, nor are the characters. **

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It was the second time she'd kissed me today and it was no less shocking than the first. If anything, it was probably more shocking, she hadn't known how I felt about her when she'd kissed me the first time. Now though, now she did and she floored me by pressing her warm lips to mine, pushing hard with what I could only assume to be passion.

It took a second to fully register what she was doing, but soon enough I started to respond. I moved my lips over hers, gently nipping at her full lower lip as I pressed my forehead to hers. It wasn't the most comfortable position to be kissing someone in, our noses pushed up side by side, but it seemed more intimate than tilting my head. And Leah didn't seem to be complaining. If anything− judging by the way she clung to me− she was quite enjoying herself. I couldn't stop my hands roaming− not that I even wanted to− they tangled in her hair, clutched her hips, traced her spine through her tank top, then underneath it. Her own smaller hands traced the muscles of my chest, sweeping over my collar bones before she grasped my neck in her left hand and splayed the fingers of her right hand in my hair, tugging gently. It was the longest kiss of my life and I loved every minute. A small part of me wondered if Leah was deliberately stretching out the kiss to avoid having to talk about anything, mainly why she'd kissed me in the first place, but the larger part of me was just completely overwhelmed.

Even though it was technically our third kiss, it felt like our first. There was so much feeling and emotion being poured into it, and it wasn't just from me. Leah was clinging to me like I'd disappear if she eased up. That only remind me that soon enough one of us would be disappearing, but it wouldn't be me.

I slowed the kiss down, not as into it now that I'd remembered about her imminent departure. I withdrew my tongue and placed a few chaste kisses on her swollen lips before pulling back.

My eyes slowly opened and I was confronted with easily the greatest sight in my life. It beat the sun setting over James Island, it beat the Seattle skyline at night, and it even beat Leah's expression when she told me she got her dream job.

Leah's face was inches from mine; she'd shifted during the kiss. She was still in my lap, but now she faced me directly, hair a tangled mess from my hands, eyes still closed, her long, thick eyelashes resting on her cheeks, her kiss swollen lips slightly parted as she drew in large, raspy breaths of air. When she had her breathing under control she opened her eyes, fluttering them a few times before her large brown eyes met mine. She smiled tentatively, flashing those brilliant dimples before she ducked her head.

I had so many questions swarming round in my mind, but I was too shit scared to actually say them out loud, afraid I'd ruin the moment.

_What was that about?_

_Why did you kiss me?_

_Do you just feel sorry for me? Was it a sympathy kiss?_

_Why would you do that, kiss me and then move away? _

"I like you too," she whispered, so quietly that I had a job to actually hear what she'd said properly, but I just caught it.

"WHAT?" I asked, practically shouting, like the true idiot I was.

There was absolutely no fucking way I'd heard her properly. I had definitely not just heard Leah confess that she had feelings for me. If that was true, then I was undeniably still dreaming. There was no other possible explanation. When the beach in my dream transformed into my bedroom I'd been sure I was waking up, but it was just a dream within a dream, like that film Inception. I half expected Leonardo DiCaprio to pop out from under the bed at any moment.

"Don't make me repeat it," Leah muttered.

I just sat there staring at her, completely dumbfounded. "I _know_ I didn't hear you right."

Her eyes snapped to mine, a scowl on her face. A few months ago that wouldn't have been a surprise, but seeing that expression on her face now was like a kick to the gut. "You're idiot, Embry."

"Why?"

"Urgh…I said I like you. You heard me perfectly fine."

I let it slide that she'd been talking too quietly for me to be sure what she'd said before, instead focusing on the fact that she'd confessed she liked me. But did she _like me_, like me, or did she just like me? I felt like I was in fucking Middle School, but I needed to know.

I looked down. "You mean…you like me, right? As in, the way I like you?"

"Well," she started after a pause. "I'm not entirely sure exactly what you meant when you said you liked me, so I can't answer that."

"You know damn well how I meant it," I growled in embarrassment.

She giggled and my eyes snapped to hers. _What was so damn funny?_

Her laughter died down. "I admit I know how you meant it, why'd you think I kissed you? Consider it payback for making me repeat myself."

"Huh?"

"If you haven't noticed, Embry− which I'm sure you have, considering your little speech earlier− I keep things close to my chest." She rolled her eyes. "It took a lot for me to say that I liked you, even after you'd said it yourself, and then you go and make me feel like a complete idiot by making me say it again. So excuse me if I just wanted to get back at you a little."

I wasn't sure how to answer that. In fact, I wasn't sure how to handle the whole situation. What was I supposed to do now? We're we going to have a chat about our feelings? I didn't really see the point in that, not when we'd both told each other anyway, and certainly not when she was going to be moving away in two weeks time.

_So, what do we do now?_

Leah broke the silence first. "Embry?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me?"

She didn't have to ask twice. I decided to take this kiss slower, really show her how I felt. I reached forward to run my hand along her jaw, brushing my thumb over her bottom lip gently. She sighed, her breath fanning across my face as I cupped her head and brought my lips to hers, placing feather light kisses as she scooted closer, wrapping her legs round my torso, bringing her body flush with mine.

Eventually, my tongue found the seam of her lips, and I groaned as I licked there, silently asking for entrance, the scent of wildflowers surrounding me. She opened her mouth and our tongues met, though this was different to the other times we'd kissed. It was passionate, but slow, gentle, and oh so fucking hot. Especially when she groaned against me, the vibrations coursed through my body and− though I thought it was impossible− I drew her even closer to me.

I couldn't get enough of her. Every sigh, every caress of her tongue, every touch was overwhelming, sending shockwaves throughout my whole body, every nerve-ending on fire, but it still wasn't enough.

Her hands rubbed along my arms, her nails digging lightly into the contours of my muscles. When her hands reached my neck she tugged, pulling me into the kiss, while she bit my lip, sucking it between her teeth. I couldn't help myself; I growled, bucking my hips up, jolting her in my lap. She must've been able to feel my erection.

I almost pulled back to apologise, but by the way she whimpered and quickened the pace of her tongue I assumed she was enjoying it. But I was surprised when she suddenly pulled away. Before I had the chance to ask her what she was doing, she had the hem of her tank top firmly in her grasp, pulling it over her head in a move so quick a human would've missed it.

_I've died and gone to heaven,_ I thought as soon as I realised she wasn't wearing a bra.

Then Leah pressed herself against me again, trying to rekindle the kiss, but I wanted to see her. I took her slender arms in my hands, using them to push her away from my body.

"I want to see you," I whispered when she went to push back against my hold. She blushed, stilling her movements, and my erection, though straining against my jeans, twitched as I took in the sight before me. "You're beautiful." I was too ashamed to admit to Leah that hers were only the second pair of breasts I'd ever seen, and they were certainly the best. Suddenly, I was nervous. _Could I touch them? Did she want me to touch them? _

Leah answered my silent questions when tugged her arms from my grip and rested them on my shoulders without hiding from my stare. Tentatively, I reached my right hand up, not sure whether to cup her breast, grab it, squeeze it, or just go straight for the already hard nipple. I went for the first option, and groaned as my palm closed over the plump flesh. I squeezed slightly as I threw my head back, her nipple pressing into the middle of my palm was driving me insane. Leah let out her own moan of approval. Spurred on by her reaction, I started moving my hand, running my fingertips in circles before finally taking her nipple between them. I continued twisting and pulling the hardened nub gently as I started placing opened mouthed kisses along her collarbone.

It felt like the world had stopped moving and there was nothing left in it but me and the beauty sat on my lap, the only sound to be heard was our mutual heavy breathing, interspersed by small groans of pleasure from the both of us. I had absolutely no idea how we'd managed to get here, but I knew there was no way I was going to stop. _I could stay like this forever_. But we didn't have forever together; we had two weeks, so I resolved to make the most of it.

_Grow a pair for once, Embry. Take what you want! _

If this was the last time I managed to get some alone time with Leah before she left, then I was damn sure going to make the most of it. Finding confidence I didn't know I had in me, I moved my head down slowly to capture her other nipple with my mouth, while I moved the other one down to glide over her jeans. I nibbled on her peak as my left hand moved lower until it was cupping her sex through her clothes.

"Urrrnnggg," she moaned, pushing herself closer to my hand. She leant forward, placing a kiss in my hair as her nails dug harshly into my shoulders. "Shit!"

My dick was positively throbbing with want as I rubbed my hand back and forth, my attention on her breasts forgotten in my concentration, though my mouth still hovered over her puckered nipple, wet from my ministrations.

I could feel Leah's heat even through her jeans, and it was driving me crazy, though I couldn't do much else in the position we were in.

"Hold on," I whispered huskily against the bronzed skin of her chest.

Leah's arms snaked around my neck as I placed my right arm on her back. Keeping my other hand firmly in between her legs, I sat up on my knees, holding Leah's body against mine as I lowered her back onto the bed.

_Much better_, I thought as my body came to rest over hers, her legs parted for me as my hand moved to the top of jeans before undoing them while I braced my weight with my other arm. Part of me wanted to rip the damn jeans off, but a larger part of me wanted to prolong my time with her.

When the zip was fully down, I moved to the top of her panties before my hand dipped inside. I kept my eyes firmly on Leah's face as my fingers dipped into her heat, watching as her eyes fluttered closed and she pinched her lip between her teeth as I found her wetness.

"Oh, god," she breathed, squirming beneath me when my forefinger finally found her clit. I rubbed it gently at first, moving in small circles. I had no idea what I was doing, but Leah seemed to be enjoying it.

She reached forward, grasping my jeans in her hand. She was going to undo them, but I stopped her with a shake of my head. I was having way too much fun watching her as I pleasured her, and even though I wanted it more than anything, if she touched me I'd be completely lost.

When the pad of my finger started to get pins and needles, I moved it lower and, joined by my middle finger, pushed it gently into her opening. She was so, so wet, and indescribably warm, it took all I had in me not to push my hips against her and grind my erection into her leg.

"Oh!" Leah's mouth popped open, forming a perfect 'O'. Her eyes, which had closed at some point, abruptly snapped open and I wasn't sure what had changed but suddenly she wasn't content with just lying back and enjoying what I was doing. Once again, her hands reached for my jeans, and I could tell by the glint in her eye and the strong, determined motions of her body that there was no point trying to resist.

Before I could blink she'd tugged them open, pulling them down my hips slightly, letting my aching cock finally spring free from the restricting material. I silently congratulated myself on not wearing boxers as her fingers traced my length. I made a very undignified groan/squeal/squeak noise as her small hand wrapped around me. She pumped, once, twice, her grip at exactly the right pressure.

"Fuck!" I cried, my body collapsing on top of hers as she picked up her pace. She chuckled darkly, and I felt a rush of moisture coat my fingertips. She was clearly pleased with my reaction. I buried my head in the crook of her neck, having to remind myself to move my own fingers inside her as she continued to drive me to the edge.

I turned my head so that my lips brushed her ear. "Fuck, Leah," I whispered. "I want you so fucking bad."

She gasped, and I almost did too, I hadn't meant to say the last part out loud. Sure, I had a newfound confidence thing going on, but when I'd said I wanted to make the most of my time with Leah the thought of sex had never crossed my mind.

I'd lost my virginity to a girl at school, Charlotte, at a house party before I turned into a wolf. But this was totally different. First, neither Leah nor I were drunk. Second, Leah had not only been the sole object of all my fantasies for months, she was also a woman. A woman with experience. My clumsy fumbling just wouldn't cut it this time. My plan had only been for some fooling around.

I was ready to forget what I'd said and just carry on pretending it'd never come out, but Leah spoke then.

"Oh, I want you too," she panted.

My body was crying out with sheer joy. _Leah Clearwater wants to have sex with me! _She wanted to sleep with me, and I wasn't dreaming. Well, I was pretty sure I wasn't dreaming. DiCaprio still hadn't made an appearance, so I thought I was safe.

My mind, however, was a different matter entirely. I was suddenly nervous. Beyond nervous, I was terrified. I froze, and Leah must've noticed.

"What?" she asked, her hand stopping its movement over my dick as she turned her head towards me. "Oh. Is this…this your first time?"

I shook my head.

"We…we don't have to."

"I want to…I just…I'm not very experienced and I-I−"

"Hey," she soothed, moving her hand up to cup my face. "Don't worry about it. We'll take it slow, ok?"

I nodded, gulping.

"Take my clothes off, Embry," she instructed quietly.

Her eyes glazed over as I leant back, kneeling in between her legs as my shaky hands reached for the top of her jeans. Curling my hands inside, I made sure I clutched the lacy material of her panties as I slowly drew them down her toned legs. She raised her hips to help me and I scooted back to pull the material over her feet. I tossed them off the bed, not caring where they landed as I turned back to her, my eyes drinking in the sight of Leah laid bare below me. She was beyond perfection.

She sat up then, placing her hands on my shoulders, pushing me until my back hit the bed. She repeated my actions, sliding my jeans down my legs before throwing them to the floor. It didn't even register that I should be nervous about being naked in front of her, I was too captivated by the sight of her, my eyes roaming over all her exposed flesh. Of course, we'd caught glimpses of each naked in the early days of the pack, but this was a totally different situation.

Leah pecked my lips lightly as she shifted her body over mine, her legs straddling my hips. I brought my hands up, bringing her face closer to kiss her properly as she slowly moved forward, bringing her wet heat right over my cock. I hissed into the kiss as my back rose off the bed. I couldn't take much more of this, I needed her.

Thankfully, Leah seemed to feel the same way. She raised herself up, taking me in her hand firmly, ready to line me up.

"I'll go gentle, ok? Tell me if there's something you don't like."

I chuckled nervously. "I doubt you could do anything I wouldn't like." She blushed. "Especially when you're naked."

We both grinned but instantly stopped the moment my tip touched her folds. Slowly, too slowly, Leah eased herself onto me.

"God, you're so tight," I groaned as my hands rested on her small, yet curvy hips.

She moaned, pausing for what felt like an eternity, before starting to move. Her hips rotated in small circles as she raised herself up, pressing her hands against my chest for leverage, and then lowered herself back on to me. At first I just let her make all the moves. It wasn't because I was nervous− Leah's words had eliminated my fears− it was because I was so lost in her movements I wasn't sure my body could function properly anymore.

But Leah picked up the pace, using more and more force as she rode me and soon enough my hips were bucking up to meet hers as my hands gripped her hips tightly.

"Oh, Embry," she whimpered, throwing her head back. "Yes! Like that, just like that."

I made sure I kept up the same rhythm as I continued to move. I was clearly doing something right, and I wanted to make sure that I kept doing it. Suddenly her body froze, the muscles in her stomach visibly clenching as her whole body shook above me. For some reason, her pussy felt tighter around my dick as she let out a loud strangled moan. Then it hit me.

_Did she…did she just come? _

My body processed my stuttering thoughts before my mind did, and I exploded inside her. I couldn't concentrate on how good it felt to come inside her, my mind was overwhelmed with trying to comprehend exactly how I'd managed to give Leah an orgasm.

Her body collapsed on top of mine as we both fought to catch our breath. My hands moved up her body to cup her head as I kissed her hair, and for the first time I realised that we were both covered in sweat. I didn't think I'd even broken a slight sweat since becoming a wolf, never mind being drenched in it.

Leah rolled to the side, causing my flaccid member to fall out of her, and laid down next to me, tucking herself into my side as I brought my arm around her shoulders. Our breathing returned to normal, but neither of us spoke, too lost in the moment to find words.

After a while I opened my eyes, instantly noticing how steamed up my window had become. I could feel eyes on me, and when I turned my head Leah was peeking up at me, a small, shy smile gracing her perfect face. I returned her smile and we just lay like that for a while.

"It's getting dark," she noted when her eyes finally left mine.

"Mmmm," I replied, squeezing her shoulder.

"What's the time?"

I lazily glanced at my bedside clock. "A little after six."

Leah groaned.

"What?"

"I need to go soon. I really don't want to, but I have to speak to Jake before patrol."

"What time's your patrol?"

"Seven," she yawned, burrowing herself further into my side.

"Oh."

I could feel the atmosphere in the room shift. I was no longer in post-coital bliss. I'd just had a stark reminder that this…this moment, couldn't last forever. I knew Leah could feel the shift, but I didn't want her to feel bad.

"I'm really happy for you." I didn't elaborate; she'd know what I was talking about.

She looked up at me. "Really?"

"Yeah. It might not seem it." I motioned with my free hand to my suddenly sullen face. "But it's true. I'm so happy that you've finally got something you want. You really deserve it."

"It seems kinda bittersweet now, though."

I mulled that over for a minute. _Why the hell was her getting her dream job now suddenly tainted? What had changed? Oh right, this…us._ "Yeah…definitely bittersweet." I motioned to our bodies. "A bittersweet goodbye."

"You could say that," she muttered glumly as she sat up.

I joined her, taking her hand in mine. "Hey, look at me. I don't want you to feel bad about this−"

"I don't regret this, Embry. I could never regret what just happened."

"I know," I smiled. "I didn't mean that. I just mean that you've been pinning everything on getting this job. It's a great opportunity for you. I don't want what's happened to taint your memories in any way, or make you feel bad. I want you to be happy."

"You're too good, Embry." She smiled, pecking my lips.

"Not nearly good enough," I replied quietly, watching as she rose from the bed and started locating her strewn clothes.

I knew that no matter how long I tried to prolong it, the moment was well and truly over, so I quickly found my jeans and tugged them on.

"Am I going to be able to see you again before you go?" I asked as she straightened her tank top.

"Well, isn't someone just begging for more," she teased lightly.

She obviously didn't appreciate that I _would_ beg for her. She had no idea of the hold she had on me.

"I didn't mean see you in _that_ way," I said, motioning to my messed up bed. "I just wondered if I would have the chance to spend some time with you before the big move."

"I'm sure that can be arranged. In fact, I'd be pretty pissed if I didn't see you properly before I left."

"Well, um, ok…that sounds great," I replied lamely.

She smiled before we both made our way out of my bedroom, heading to the front door. As Leah reached the door she stopped and turned around to face me.

"Thank you," she announced sincerely, locking eyes with me. Her brown orbs looked glassy and it wasn't until she bit her lip that I realised she was holding back tears. "For everything. And I mean everything. You put up with all my crap when I first phased, even though you deserved none of it. You've helped me so much during the past week that I don't even know where to begin." Her tears started to spill over, racing over her high cheekbones before making tracks down her cheeks. I wiped them away as she continued. "You've done so much for me, and I know I'll never be able to pay you back."

"I think you did a minute ago," I joked. "You know, the awesome sex we just had in my room."

She laughed, though it was quiet and looked completely out of place on her upset face. She drew me into a hug, resting her head on my chest and I could feel her tears drip onto my skin. I wrapped my arms around her slightly shuddering frame, trying to keep myself together as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"Thank you," she whispered, placing a kiss on my naked chest.

We stood in the embrace for a long time, both silent as we enjoyed what we both knew deep down would be our last act of intimacy.

"I have to go," she breathed.

Because I knew that was difficult for her to say, and because I didn't know how much longer I could keep it together, I let her withdraw herself from my arms and reach for the door.

"I'll see you soon."

I smiled, though it probably looked forced. "I know. Now get going, I'm sure our oh-so-lovable Alpha is waiting patiently for your arrival."

She chuckled as she made her way down the porch steps. Turning, she smiled up at me one more time before she made her way down the rest of the path.

Only when I couldn't see her anymore did I shut the door, pressing my back against it, sinking to the floor. I put my head in my hands and let a few stray tears fall.

I couldn't believe the events of the day. Leah had got the job, and I'd been so unbelievably happy for her, even when she announced she was leaving so soon. But then everything had changed. We'd both confessed our feelings and it'd led to the greatest moment of my life. All my fantasies, hopes and dreams had come true during one seemingly normal afternoon, but then, as quick as I had them in my grasp, they'd been taken away. It seemed like a cruel twist of fate.

I sat like that, my back pressed against the front door with my knees drawn up, mulling over everything as the darkness of the night fell around me. I only moved when there was a harsh knocking at my door. I was surprised. I'd heard the footfalls and the heartbeat of the person long before they got to the door, but I hadn't been expecting them to stop here. I hadn't been expecting anyone, my mom was at work and I hadn't planned anything with the guys.

I stood quickly and opened the door, only to be shocked at who was on the other side.

"Embry!" she cried, grasping my forearm. "Come with me?"

"What?"

"Come with me. Come to Seattle with me."

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? This chapter was easy and difficult for me to write. I wrote it quickly, but I found the last couple of pages really hard to get out, though I've had those last three lines written since I wrote the first chapter. **

**All the support I've received for this story has been amazing, and I honestly can't thank you enough. No honestly, I can't! It's been such great fun writing this, especially with all the feedback I've got, that I almost wish I'd made the story longer.**

**Don't worry though, the epilogue is still to come. Only one person commented on what POV I should use, so I've decided to incorporate Leah's POV. **

**I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, and the lemon ;) **


	6. Epilogue

**A/N: So this is it, the epilogue. I really hope you guys enjoy it...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or the characters. **

**

* * *

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**EPILOGUE**

**LEAH POV**

I didn't want to leave.

I never wanted to leave the comforting warmth of Embry's embrace, but I had to tell Jake that I was moving before I was due on patrol. Finally, though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I slowly lowered my arms and stepped back.

"I'll see you soon," I mumbled quietly, trying to put a lid on my emotions but failing miserably.

Embry tried to smile, but it looked like a grimace. "I know. Now get going, I'm sure our oh-so-lovable Alpha is waiting patiently for your arrival."

My laugh sounded hollow even to my own ears as I stepped over the threshold. I couldn't help but peek over my shoulder at him one more time before walking off into the setting sun. I could feel Embry's eyes on me until I turned the corner at the end of his road. That's when I let the tears finally fall.

I'd cried when I said goodbye to him, but it was nothing compared to floodgates that'd opened now I wasn't with him. When Embry'd asked if he was going to see me before my move I'd been shocked. I couldn't imagine not spending time with him before I went to Seattle, especially considering the afternoon we'd shared. But I quickly realised that he had a point. I had so much to do in such a short space of time, how was I going to fit it all in? Then my mother would probably monopolise all of my free time, never mind Seth and Jake, who'd no doubt want to spend every waking moment trying to convince me not to leave.

_Would I get to see Embry again, properly, before I left?_

_Did I want that? _

Wouldn't it hurt more that way; seeing him, getting to be with him, but knowing it was on borrowed time?

I swiped furiously at my face, angry at myself for being so stupid as I tried to wipe the tears away. Why had I let it get so far earlier? If I'd simply waited and phoned him later then we wouldn't have done what we did. I could've avoided all the hurt I was going through now if only I'd been a bit more patient. I wasn't trying to fool myself; I knew that leaving Embry would've been tough, but sleeping with him, confessing my feelings to him, had just made everything so much worse.

By the time I reached Jake's door I was a complete mess. I forced myself to stand on the porch and take a few deep breaths to compose myself. I lifted the hem of my tank top and wiped my cheeks, soaking up as much moisture as I could. When I finally felt under control, I tapped on the door.

The only sound I could hear was Jake ambling lazily down the hall, and I was thankful that Billy wasn't in. I didn't think I could face telling both of them my news at the same time, and god love Billy, the crazy old fool, but he was a notorious gossip and I knew it would only be a matter of seconds before the whole reservation knew.

"Hey, Lee. Whatcha doing here? It's not patrol time yet," Jake called brightly as soon as he swung the door open, leaning his huge figure against the frame. He took one look at my face and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Those two words were all it took for me to burst into a fresh round of sobs and I launched forward to bury my face into Jake's t-shirt, partly for the comfort, partly to hide my face. I hated crying, I _despised_ crying in front of people. Jake stumbled back with the force of my assault, before balancing again and, lightning quick, wrapped his arms around me, cradling my head against his chest.

"Shhh…shhh…hey, come on," he soothed, breathing the words in my ear. "Leah, hun? What's wrong? Talk to me?"

It wasn't a demand, I think he knew I couldn't form words right now. I heard the door click shut behind me and then Jake was guiding me to the sofa. He pushed me down gently and I slumped into the thick cushions, burying my head in my hands as I fought to control my breathing. I felt the sofa shift next to me and a moment later Jake's arm was wrapped around my shoulders. The room was quiet for a while, the only sound was my pathetic sniffling.

"Leah, you _have_ to tell me what's going on before I go insane," he pleaded softly. "What is it? Did Sam do something, say something?"

I shook my head as my tears finally started to ebb. Why did everyone think all my problems stemmed from Sam? Didn't anyone but me realise I was over him?

"Then what is it?"

I took a deep, shuddery breath. "I don't even know where to start," I whispered through my hands.

"The beginning would help," Jake replied dryly.

"It would help if I knew where the beginning was," I snorted.

"You're confusing me now."

"I'm confusing myself," I muttered as I sat up, pressing my back into the cushions.

"Leah, I love you, but if you don't spit it out, I'm going to kill you."

I waited until his hands stopped trembling− I knew he was pissed at whatever had hurt me− taking the opportunity to think, before I started. "I came early to tell you something. I-I−" I breathed deeply. "I'm leaving."

"You're WHAT?" Jake roared, leaping from the sofa before spinning around and staring at me as if I'd just announced I was having a sex change.

I'd expected that kind of reaction from him, I knew he wouldn't exactly be thrilled with my departure− after all, I probably did as much for our little pack as he did− but after the day I'd had I really didn't have the patience to put up with it.

"Sit down," I sighed, watching him pace back and forth across the lounge.

He ignored me. "Why? Why are you going? Did someone do something? If it was Sam, you know you can tell me. I'll kick his ass. I'll, I'll−"

"Jake, shut up, it's not Sam. It's not anyone. I'm not leaving La Push because something bad's happened."

"Then what is it?" he asked as he finally stopped pacing.

"I…got a job. A really good job…up in Seattle," I tacked on after a minute. "It's at the Seattle Times."

I didn't have to say any more before a huge grin broke out on Jake's face. "Leah, that's fantastic. Are you going to be a reporter?" he asked enthusiastically as he sat on the coffee table in front of me. I was surprised the old wood could take his weight, but it did, albeit with a groan.

"Not quite. It's a junior position, but there's a lot of opportunities to progress, and some freelance work."

"That's great!" he smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me?"

I smirked as I gestured towards the place he'd just been pacing frantically.

"Good point," he conceded. "Leah, this is great for you. I know− we _all _know− how much you want to be a journalist. Your dream's finally coming true. And I know you'll miss us. Me especially," he grinned, puffing out his chest− not that he needed to, the guy was built. "So why are you sad?"

That brought me back down to earth with a thump, as I cursed myself as I felt my eyes well up again.

_Get a fucking grip, Clearwater!_ I scolded myself. _You haven't cried in front of anyone in years, why the fuck are you starting now?_

I could see the panic flash through Jake's eyes before he moved, far more swiftly than someone of size his should be able to, to kneel down in front of me, placing his hands on my knees, squeezing slightly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine. It's just…just…" I didn't know how to get my next sentence out. I didn't even know what my next sentence should be. How the hell was I supposed to explain what had gone on between me and Embry? "It…it's just…different now."

"What's different?"

"Everything," I whispered as he looked up at me, concern etched on his face. "It's Embry." I let the two words hang in the air, not knowing what to say from there. Though I needn't have worried.

Keeping his hands on my knees, Jake rocked back slightly on the balls of his feet, a small, knowing smile played on his lips.

"You love him," he stated.

I instantly went to protest, but I stopped short. "Yeah. I do," I replied after a minute.

Jake's booming chuckle made me jump out of my skin, and I could've sworn I heard the window panes rattle with the force.

"I knew it," he laughed. "I fucking knew it!"

His smug grin was really starting to get on my nerves. I pushed his shoulders and he toppled back, knocking into the coffee table as his ass landed heavily on the floor, though he never stopped smiling.

"How the hell would you know about it, if I've only just realised it myself?" I spat.

Still laughing− used to my frequent mood swings− he held his hands up in surrender. "Calm down, Clearwater. You're just too obvious. You can't help it."

I opened my mouth, ready to deliver one of my cutting comebacks, but nothing came out. I snapped it shut, breathing heavily as Jake roared with laughter below me. Finally my brain came back to me, though I only managed a, "Fuck off, idiot."

_Yeah, original, Leah. Well done. _

"Okay, okay. Sorry," Jake spluttered, eventually managing to control his laughter. "You're just too funny when you get pissed." I went to swing at him, but he easily caught my fist in his hand, not even batting an eyelid. "And don't worry, you weren't that obvious. I only figured it out because I found out Embry liked you. After that I watched the two of you. It was easy to put two and two together from there."

I wasn't sure what I was more stunned about; the fact that Embry had obviously liked me for awhile− maybe as long as I'd liked him− or that Jake had actually paid attention to something for more than five minutes. Something other than his imprint. My mind was buzzing with all this new information, and I was still trying to comprehend the fact that I loved Embry, not just liked− _loved_. I hadn't considered it before Jake'd mentioned it, but it was true, I did love him. How could I have been stupid enough to miss that? Especially as Jake hadn't? Clearly my Alpha knew me better than I thought.

Oblivious to my internal struggle, said Alpha continued talking. "Now, I'm going to take a guess here and say that you're upset about moving because you don't want to leave him behind. Am I right?"

I nodded mutely, and Jake burst out laughing, _again_.

"What's so funny?" I hissed.

"Oh, Clearwater. You truly are an idiot."

I raised my eyebrows. "Get to the point."

"If you don't want to leave him behind, then why don't you take him with you?"

I snorted. I hadn't even considered that before, but I could already find a million reasons why it wouldn't work. "Please, as if Embry would actually want to come with me. Even if he did, there's still too much in the way. What about the pack? His mom? School?"

"Leah," Jake tsked, moving to kneel in front of me again. He leant forward, taking my face in between his palms. "Embry would follow you anywhere. Anything else doesn't matter."

He smiled before kissing my forehead as I remained stone still on the couch.

_Would Embry follow me? _

_Would he really leave his life here behind? For me? _

_How would I know unless I asked? _

I threw my arms around Jake's neck, bear hugging him with enough force to decapitate a human before pressing a firm kiss to his forehead.

"Thanks, Jake!" I called as I ripped myself from his arms and jumped up. I could hear his deep chuckle as I darted out the little red house.

I tore through the now dark streets of La Push as quick as my legs would carry me, only slowing slightly when there were humans around, though I was probably still going faster than anyone thought possible. My feet slapped the concrete frantically as I hurtled myself toward my goal, towards Embry, all the while mentally kicking myself for leaving him earlier. I also cursed the fact that his house was on the complete opposite side of the reservation.

I turned onto the next street− only two more to go− and I almost slowed down when I saw someone taking out their trash, but I quickly realised it was Sam. He wouldn't bat an eyelid at the speed I was doing.

I nodded at him as I came closer before passing him. He just stood there, eyebrows quirked, as he watched me. The little grey house− the one I'd always thought would be mine− blurred passed me as I raced toward Embry. I smiled as I realised the symbolism of that one seemingly insignificant thing. I was leaving my past, the little grey house, Sam, and the future they represented, as I ran headfirst into my future. One that would hopefully contain the man waiting at the end.

My breath was heavy, and my heart was beating furiously against my ribs− though I wasn't sure whether that was through exertion or nerves.

I turned onto his street.

_What if he said no?_

_What if he didn't want to come with me?_

I realised then that I would have to tell him how I felt, _exactly_ how I felt, if I was to stand a chance of convincing him to go with me. He would have to know I loved him. How else would he be able to make the choice? Surprisingly, I knew it wouldn't be difficult for me to open up, I wanted him to know.

_But what if I was just some meaningless fuck to him? _

I pushed that thought down as I barrelled up his path. Embry didn't have it in him to treat a woman like that, and I knew I hadn't been imagining the emotion he'd poured into everything this afternoon.

I didn't have time to collect my thoughts, or plan what to say as I skidded to a stop in front of his door, banging on it so hard I hurt my hand. I heard scuffling and two seconds later the door opened to reveal Embry, in all his perfection, staring at me with an utterly confused expression on his face.

_How did he get to the door so fast? _

I didn't have time to ponder that as I blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"Embry!" I cried, grasping his forearm tightly. "Come with me?"

"What?"

"Come with me. Come to Seattle with me," I panted.

He just stared blankly at my face. Not the reaction I'd been expecting. "Leah, what're you talking about?"

"I want you to come with me. I want to take a chance on you. I took a chance when I applied for this job, and it paid off. I'm hoping you'll say yes and this'll pay off for me too," I rushed out, my words blurring into each other as they tumbled unchecked from my mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"For fuck sake, Embry, you can be thick as pig shit sometimes," I barked, growing impatient. I admit that I may have overreacted− just slightly− but I felt like I was going to explode if he didn't answer my question soon. "I want you to come with me. I'm totally fucking in love with you! And I don't want to go…I _can't_ go without you."

Embry didn't move, he didn't breathe, and I just stood there waiting for a response. Suddenly, my impulsive decision to ask him to come with me and to confess my feelings didn't seem like such a good idea anymore and I mentally cursed not only myself, but Jacob Fucking Black too.

* * *

**EMBRY POV**

There hadn't been a day in the past six months where I hadn't mentally thanked Jacob Black. In fact most days I vocalised it to him as well, but I had to watch the phone bill. But no matter how many times I thanked him, there was no way I could ever re-pay what my best friend had done for me.

He'd been the one to make Leah confront her feelings about me. He'd also given her the idea of inviting me to move in with her. But we'd have never even got to that stage if it hadn't been for Jake in the first place. Leah was− and still is− strong, stronger than anyone else I've ever known. She would've eventually managed to cope on her own, but Jake's decision to split the pack gave her the escape she'd been dreaming of. No longer would she have to be tortured with the constant presence of her ex. Instead of just merely coping, Leah'd thrived in Jake's pack.

"Are you ready?" I called up the stairs.

"Just a minute," she called back.

I walked back into the lounge. Rolling my eyes, I turned towards the mirror that hung over the mantle, straightening out my tie. The damn thing felt like it was choking me. Women were right when they said men were idiots− we were the one's who willingly wore nooses around our necks. Well, _I_ wasn't wearing one willingly. Leah'd threatened a bitch fit if I didn't wear it, and though our strength had almost gone back to normal as a result of not phasing for so long, I really didn't want to risk it.

Quitting our wolves had been surprisingly easy. In fact, we only ran one more patrol after she asked me to come with her. We ran together, for the first and last time enjoying being in each others minds with all our walls down. Leah'd let me in easily after she'd confessed her feelings and her mind was lighter, more free, after she'd put herself out there and I'd accepted. For four hours we got to see _exactly_ how we felt about each other, no holds barred.

I still kicked myself for just standing there as she poured her heart out to me that first time on my doorstep. I knew she'd taken a huge, huge personal risk when she'd come back. For the first time since Sam, she'd put her heart on the line, and what did I do? I stood there like a mute. She'd turned to leave, tears already pricking her eyes when I finally came back into myself, and I'd scooped her up in my arms, kissing her passionately before agreeing to move with her, not pausing to consider how my life would change, or what I needed to do.

The next day we announced to the packs and the elders that we would be leaving for Seattle in two weeks, together. There had been shock, plenty of it, but eventually everyone came around to the idea. It wasn't like they had a choice. Sam had confessed to me a few days later that he was torn. Half of him was happy for Leah, pleased to see that she was happy. It was all he wanted for her. But he was nervous, scared that I could imprint and leave her. I didn't have a response for him− it was a concern of mine too− but Leah heard him, and she had plenty to say on the subject.

"While I appreciate your concern, Sam," she stated calmly, a small smile playing on her beautiful lips. "It's totally unnecessary. Yes, there's always the risk that Embry could imprint one day, as could I, but life is full of risks. If everyone went around avoiding risks, or anything that could hurt them, then no one would experience anything. I'm tired of living a half-life, Sam," she sighed. "Sometimes, no matter how hard you try and avoid it, you're going to get hurt. But hurting is better than feeling nothing. And besides, could you resist this face?" she asked, chuckling as she cupped my face, giving me a small kiss.

It was in that moment that I realised she'd truly put Sam and her past behind her. After that, I told my mom. She wasn't too impressed that her 'delinquent son was now running off with an older woman, and all before he graduated.' I reassured her that I wasn't running off, and that I'd do my senior year of high school in the city. She didn't believe me, but it was the truth. Not only was I attending the local high school, I was actually getting higher grades than I had in La Push, mainly because I had more time now that I didn't have to patrol.

"Ok, I'm ready!" Leah announced dramatically as she started to descend the stairs.

I still found it weird that I couldn't hear her unless she shouted, so used to having wolf senses. I tugged my tie one last time before turning around, ready for her grand entrance.

"Wow," I breathed, fully aware that my mouth was hanging open, but totally unable to do anything about it. Leah looked…beyond breathtaking. Stunning wouldn't even begin to cover the vision in front of me. "You…you look…"

"Thank you," she giggled when she realised I wouldn't be finishing that sentence anytime soon. A soft blush rose on her high cheekbones. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"I look like an idiot."

"You do not," she insisted as she walked towards me. It looked more like she was floating, the way the emerald green fabric of her dress swished around her legs.

She reached up and fiddled with my tie, making sure it was to her liking before she walked towards the mirror, moving her fingers over her curled hair, which she'd fastened with some sparkly clip thingies. I moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her slender waist as I pressed a firm kiss to the nape of her exposed neck, never taking my eyes from hers in the reflection.

"You look perfect."

She shivered slightly at my breath on her neck. "Thanks. You ready?"

"I've been ready for half an hour." I chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

We made our way to car and I did the gentlemanly thing over opening her door for her, gathering the fabric of her dress to help her get in. It earned me a scowl but I didn't care. Leah looked like a princess and I was determined to treat her like one.

We talked about random things as we started the long drive, but when we passed the city limits, the houses slowly dissipating, replaced by the forest, we went quiet, Leah leaning her head against the passenger window, watching the world go by.

I continued driving at the same pace, occasionally flicking the wipers on when the Washington sky couldn't decide if it wanted to rain or not. Secretly I was worried about Leah. I wondered whether this day would be too much for her. Watching your ex get married wasn't easy for anyone, never mind when it was to your own cousin and _you_ were the bridesmaid.

I knew Leah had put Sam behind her, but I suspected that there was still a place in her heart for him. I didn't mind, I knew she loved me, she'd proven it again and again over the last six months. Every small gesture, every kiss, every touch, every night when we lay in bed together let me know just how much I meant to her. But I couldn't stop that niggle in the back of my head, the one that told me that today could push her back towards the girl she used to be, it could ruin everything she'd achieved over the last year and a half.

"Leah?" I asked tentatively.

"Hmmm?"

"Are you ok?"

I took my eyes off the road as she grasped my right hand in hers, linking our fingers together. She smiled brightly at me. "I'm great."

And I knew from the way her eyes sparkled that she was telling the truth.

* * *

**A.N: It's over : ( I'm so sad that it's come to an end, I've had so much fun writing this story and I really, really hope you enjoyed the final instalment. **

**I just want to say a massive, massive thanks to everyone who's reviewed, fav'd, or alerted this story. I'd give each and every one of you a hug if I could. Better yet, I'd send Embry round to give you a hug. Though, if I had that kind of power over him I could think of a million other things I'd do first ;) **

**I'm really to hoping to at least equal the same amount of reviews on this chapter as I had on the first, so if eleven of you would be kind enough to review that'd be awesome! In fact, if everyone who has this story on alert were to leave me a little review, I think I'd explode!**


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